Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi held an identity theft workshop last week after a recent credit card scam at two San Lorenzo Albertsons grocery stores. The workshop, held July 20 at the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Alameda County Offices in Pleasanton, was attended by approximately 100 people who were told by a panel of experts how to protect themselves and their credit from identity theft, a crime that’s consistently been on the rise.
The seminar covered topics such as how to protect personal information, the latest identity theft crimes, law enforcement actions, online privacy and how to protect kids online. Guest speakers included Joanne McNabb, chief of the California Office of Privacy Protection; Det. Greg Swetnam and Lt. Tom Madigan, both of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and Nanette Madsen, deputy director of the Department of Consumer Affairs.
In the grocery scam, a group of men and women installed credit card skimmers in Albertsons credit card machines while store employees were unaware and off stocking shelves. The skimmers are easily installed in about one minute and record all credit card numbers as well as pin numbers that are entered into the machine.
According to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, identity theft has been the largest, fastest growing crime for the past five years. Criminals use scams, dig through trash, steal mail and employ many other methods to obtain personal information.
Identity theft can affect a person’s life immensely, sometimes taking up to 175 hours of their time to restore their credit rating. In the United States, more than 50 million Americans have been victims of identity theft, a crime that generates over $48 billion each year.
McNabb, of the California Office of Privacy Protection, educates people and businesses to make them aware of the threat of identity theft. The Office of Privacy Protection, established in 2001, also works with law enforcement agencies on identity theft cases and security breaches.
McNabb touched on the different things thieves use identities for, some of which included using existing bank account funds, opening new bank accounts, obtaining medical services, employment and even trading the information for narcotics. She said the most common age group affected by ID theft is young adults aged 18-24. Last year 8.4 million adults, including 1 million Californians, had their identities stolen at an average cost of $531 per victim.
Some of the prevention techniques include: never giving out personal information unless you initiate contact, shredding all bills, bank statements, catalog covers, pre-approved credit card offers and checking your credit report regularly. Everyone is entitled to one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus each year. For a free credit report visit www.annualcreditreport.com.
Lt. Madigan, an identity theft investigator with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, emphasized the link between ID theft and methamphetamine use. Madigan said in his years investigating the crime, he has seen people use stolen money to pay for televisions, rent, breast implants, gambling habits, drugs and travel. He said common signs of identity theft include not receiving monthly credit card bills, credit lines being reduced, having inaccurate credit report information, being denied credit and getting calls from debt collectors. If a victim becomes aware of the theft they must notify their bank within 60 days to be reimbursed for their losses, he said.
Det. Swetnam told the audience that making sure Web sites accessed are reliable is also a crucial precaution against identity theft. When describing how thieves wash checks in brake fluid to remove the ink and rewrite the check, Swetname elicited gasps from audience members. Another piece of advice Swetnam offered to the group: be aware that sweepstakes and contests sell personal information to telemarketers and many businesses use state prisoners as their telemarketers.
