Bill Lockyer
Despite historic lows in violent crime rates, Californians today are
more at risk than ever of becoming a victim of crime. The fastest growing
crime wave in our state and America today is the crime of identity theft.
An estimated 750,000 Americans per year are victims of identity theft
schemes, up from 40,000 in 1992 -- an 18-fold increase. What makes
identity theft so devastating is the ease with which criminals can
perpetrate the offense and the enormous damage that can be inflicted upon
its victims.
Thieves can steal wallets, snatch your mail with your bank and credit
card statements, complete a change-of-address form to divert your mail to
another location, Dumpster dive for personal data and access personal
information you share on the Internet.
Once in possession of your identifying details, scam artists can use
your credit card or open a new account. They can drain your bank account,
establish phone or wireless service, file for bankruptcy, counterfeit
checks or debit cards and take out loans -- all in your name.
For victims, the trauma and hassle associated with restoring their
credit, clearing their name or, in some cases, escaping criminal
prosecution can take an average of two years to complete.
My office is coordinating the work of five regional high-tech task
forces throughout the state to investigate and prosecute identity theft.
We are also developing new identity theft prosecution units to work with
these task forces.
But the single most effective way to fight identity theft is for you
to prevent criminals from accessing your personal information.
Taking the following steps will help protect you against identity
theft:
* Never give out your Social Security number, except when absolutely
necessary, such as to your employer.
* Do not give out personal information on the phone, through the mail
or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know the
individual or organization.
* Before giving personal data to a company, ask how the information
will be used, whether it will be transferred to third parties (mailing
lists) and if you can keep your information confidential.
* If your bills don't arrive on time, follow up with creditors. An
identity thief may have taken over your credit card account and changed
your billing address.
* Review bank and credit card statements each month for fraudulent
activity. If anything is amiss, immediately report the problem to your
bank or credit card company.
