The devastation following a natural disaster provides increased opportunities for identity thieves. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years – and thousands of dollars – cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of their good name.

How ID Theft Occurs

Identity thieves only need a few pieces of your personal information, such as your Social Security number, your name and your address, to begin opening accounts in your name. Perpetrators can obtain this information in several ways. They may:

• Steal wallets and purses containing your identification and credit and bank cards.
• Steal your mail, including your bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks, and tax information.
• Rummage through your trash or the trash of businesses looking for personal data and retrieve a discarded bill or credit application. This practice is known as “dumpster diving.”
• Go through your mailbox looking for outgoing mail with personal checks.
• Complete a “change of address form” to divert your mail to another location.

ID Thieves May Use Your Information By:

1. Establishing a new ID. They do this by calling your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, asking to change the mailing address on your credit card account. The imposter then runs up charges on your account.

2. Opening a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth and Social Security number.

3. Establishing telephone or wireless service in your name.

4. Opening a bank account in your name and writing bad checks on that account.

5. Counterfeiting checks or debit cards and draining your bank account.

6. Buying cars by taking out auto loans in your name.

7. Giving your name to the police during an arrest. If they are released from police custody but don’t show up for their court date, an arrest warrant is issued in your name.

Minimize Your Risk

1. Carry with you only the ID and the minimum number of debit and credit cards you’ll actually need at any given time. Make sure you sign all new credit cards immediately with permanent ink. If you have applied for a new credit card and it does not arrive within a reasonable time, contact the issuer.

2. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet; leave it in a secure place at home.

3. Give your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary. Take your Social Security number off your driver’s license.

4. Try to memorize passwords instead of recording them on paper or on the computer.

5. Create passwords or codes that are not obvious; avoid using your birth date, your mother’s maiden name or your pet’s name for passwords or PIN numbers.

6. Don’t give out personal information over the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or are sure you know who you’re dealing with.

7. Guard your mail and trash. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.

8. Use a cross-cut shredder to destroy charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge cards that you are discarding and credit offers you get in the mail.

9. Never leave receipts behind after making a purchase.

10. While making a transaction in person, keep your eye on the cashier. A new crime, known as “skimming,” involves a cashier receiving your credit card, then quickly skimming it through a portable device that picks up the information on the card for unauthorized use later.

11. Stay focused during transactions. It only takes a few moments for an ID thief to steal pertinent information.

12. Be aware of “Shoulder Surfers!” Shield your numbers when using an ATM or using a calling card at a pay phone. “Shoulder Surfers” look over your shoulder and quickly memorize the numbers you are punching.

13. Do not make purchases from unsecured Internet sites. Look for the “lock” icon on the browsers status bar to be sure that your information is secure during transmission.

14. If online 24/7, turn off your computer when it's not in use.

If You’re a Victim

It’s frightening to lose your wallet or discover that someone has used information about you for a fraudulent purpose. Don’t panic - help is available. You will need to remain calm, cool, and collected as you go through the process of resolving the problem.

1. Report ID theft to the three major credit bureaus.

• Tell them that you are an identity-theft victim. They will put a “fraud alert” on your credit file so that if someone is applying for credit using your personal information, the creditor will take extra care to ensure that it’s really you. They will also send you a free copy of your report so you can check for any accounts that you did not open.

2. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

• Credit accounts include all accounts with banks, credit card companies and other lenders. If you are closing your existing accounts, use new personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords when you open new accounts. Follow up all calls in writing. Send your letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep copies for your files.

3. File a police report with your local police or in the community where identity theft took place.

• It isn’t always possible for the police to investigate every individual case of ID theft, but making an official report can help you as you fight to clear your name, and the information you provide may be used to stop the thief from victimizing others. If you know where the theft occurred, contact the police in that city or town; otherwise, call your local police. Insist on making a formal police report and request a copy. If you cannot get a copy of the report, at least get the report number.

To Report Fraud

Contact the fraud department of each of the three major credit bureaus. Tell them to flag your file with a fraud alert including a statement that creditors should get your permission before opening any new accounts in your name.

Three major credit bureaus:

1. Equifax

• To order your report, call: 800-685-1111
• To report fraud, call: 800-525-6285 and write: P.O. Box 740250, Atlanta, GA 30374

2. Experian

• To order your report, call: 888-397-3742
• To report fraud, call: 888-397-3742 and write: P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX 75013

3. TransUnion 

• To order your report, call: 800-888-4213
• To report fraud, call: 800-680-7289
• Email TransUnion
• Write: Fraud Victim Assistance Department, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634-6790

• Victims can also go online to report the problem and get resources to guide them.
• Contact the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ID Theft Hotline at 877-438-4338 / 877-ID THEFT. It provides a central source of advice for ID theft victims.
• Contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service -- toll free -- at 800-275-8777 for your local postal inspector’s phone number and let them know that your mail has been used to commit fraud. If you know where fraudulent credit cards or other material has been sent, ask that all mail at the fraudulent address be forwarded to your own address.
• The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General investigates cases of identity theft. Report allegations that a Social Security number has been stolen or misused to the SSA Fraud Hotline. Call: 800-269-0271 or write: SSA Fraud Hotline, P. O. Box 17768, Baltimore, MD 21235.
• Also call the Social Security Administration toll free at 800-772-1213 to verify the accuracy of the earnings reported on your Social Security number and to request a copy of your Social Security Statement. Follow up in writing.
• The FBI, a criminal law enforcement agency, investigates cases of identity theft. The FBI recognizes that identity theft is a component of many crimes, including bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud, insurance fraud, fraud against the government and terrorism. Local field offices are listed in the Blue Pages of your telephone directory.

Originally developed by:
Laura Lea Perault, Extension Agent, Livingston Parish

Adapted by:
Jeanette A. Tucker, Ph.D, Professor, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service

Kaci Metzger, Student Worker, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service

Sources of Information:

· Are You At Risk For Identity Theft? : Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

· Beware: Phony Forms – Even IRS Used in Identity Theft Scams, By The Associated Press

· The Advocate, September 28, 2002, Baton Rouge, LA

· Equifax Credit Watch

· Federal Bureau of Investigation

· ID THEFT: When Bad Things Happen To Your Good Name - Federal Trade Commission – Sept. 2002

· Identity Crisis -- What to Do If Your Identity is Stolen: Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Alert

· Identity Guard

· Identity Theft and Fraud – More Than a “White Collar” Crime -- Equifax Credit Bureau

· Identity Theft: Reduce Your Risk: Federal Trade Commission Facts for Consumers

· Identity Theft Victim Stories

· Identity Theft: Welcome to the U.S. Government’s central Web site for information about ID theft

· Identity Thieves Can Ruin Your Good Name: Federal Trade Commission – Facts for Consumers

· Invasion of the ID Snatchers: The National Consumers League

· LA Colleges Guard Student Identities: Use of Social Security Numbers on the decline, By: Michelle Millhollon, Advocate Staff Writer, Sunday Advocate, October 27, 2002

· Robin Holland, Senior Vice President, North American Consumer and Customer Services, Equifax

· Transunion - Identifying Fraud

· Take Charge: Fighting Back against Identity Theft

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