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ID theft is the No. 1 runaway U.S. crime(Salt Lake Tribune, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) May 3--Identity theft can be as simple as a drug addict rooting through trash or stealing mail, and as high-tech as e-mail scams, bogus Web sites, miniature cameras and illicit digital scanners secreted at an ATM. Regardless, the crime has become the fastest-growing in the United States. Last year, 10 million Americans fell prey to misappropriated credit cards, bank accounts and Social Security numbers. According to various researchers, that is at least a 30 percent increase over the 7 million ID theft victims of just three years ago. "I've never seen a crime take hold and grow like this," Kirk Jorgensen, chief deputy to the Utah Attorney General's Office, told a downtown Salt Lake City identity theft symposium Tuesday hosted by the Sutherland Institute. "And it is so easy; it literally doesn't take a rocket scientist." He recounted that a methamphetamine-fueled gang of white supremacists recently ran one ID theft ring that wreaked havoc in northern Utah. "They weren't the brightest people on the block . . . yet they had one heck of an operation [that was] committing crimes up and down the Wasatch Front." Although eventually broken up, the ring's longevity was aided by its crimes being investigated as isolated incidents in each of several cities. FBI Special Agent Matthew Miller said such lack of interagency cooperation helped spawn the Identity Theft Task Force, made up of dozens of government and law enforcement agencies. The resulting sharing of resources and data has led to 190 cases, more than 150 grand jury indictments and 126 convictions and sentencings in the past year and a half. Although the FBI's primary interest initially was to thwart ID-stealing terrorists, Miller says the task force has found the crime spreading into organized criminal enterprises linking white supremacists, street gangs and drug addicts. One division is tasked with stealing mail or breaking into cars to snitch visible wallets or purses. Credit cards and personal information is gleaned, from which a second unit -- computer-savvy graphics artists -- craft counterfeit checks, Social Security cards, driver licenses and other documents. Miller, the victim of ID theft twice in recent years, said the third level is made up of pretenders who use the identities to attempt to access their victims' bank accounts, charge purchases or make cash withdrawals, or set up bogus identities using others' stolen Social Security numbers. Increasingly, real Social Security numbers and accounts are being created, or purloined, by undocumented workers to circumvent employers' efforts to certify their legality, said Ronald Engleby, special agent in charge of the SSA's Office of the Inspector General in Utah. "I've been a victim and my wife has been a victim [of ID theft]," he said. In his case, a delivery service lost documents containing sensitive financial information; his wife's credit was highjacked after a corporate laptop was lost. Ninety-eight percent of Social Security-related ID theft cases involve people who use their own names but invent or steal their numbers. Two percent involve perpetrators using the numbers to assume their victims' identities to "rape and pillage their credit." Lack of collaboration between federal agencies can add further to the suffering of law-abiding Americans. Engleby noted that the Internal Revenue Service routinely finds Social Security number discrepancies, but instead of investigating the agency goes after the real number-holders for alleged unreported income. Tax collection notices are sent, refunds garnished. Engleby tries to help victims clear their names, but it takes time. In the interim, the ID thieves continue to use the number to buy cars, take out mortgages and file bankruptcies that destroy their victims' credit. Various studies show that in addition to the tens of billions of dollars in losses financial institutions face, ID theft victims will spend at least 600 hours trying to repair their backgrounds. Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, said recent creation of the Identity Theft Reporting Information System Web site (http://www.idtheft.utah.gov/pn) is meant to ease some of the victims' burdens. The site helps victims report ID theft and automatically routes it to appropriate law enforcement agencies. It also provides advice on how to further resolve problems arising from the crime. IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION --The Social Security Administration provides a Web site where employers can learn how to verify their employees' numbers: http://ssa.gov/employer. --Regularly check your credit reports for unwarranted restrictions and bad-debt complaints, and carefully scan bank statements for unauthorized transactions. --Mailboxes have become a popular target for ID thieves, so consider using a Post Office box to receive sensitive mail, and take payments directly to the Post Office for delivery. --Shred any documents containing personal information before putting it in the trash. --Never give out personal or account information by e-mail; no legitimate financial institution will seek such data through e-mail. --If called for financial or personal information, call the institution back on a number you know is real, perhaps one from an official letter or statement, before providing any details. |