Published: October 05, 2008 09:49 pm         

Consumers should be aware of identity theft

FTC advises keeping close tabs on personal info

CUMBERLAND — As many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year, according to estimates by the Federal Trade Commission.

Patricia Folk, president and treasurer of the Allegany County Teachers Federal Credit Union, reports that area consumers need to be aware that even though identity theft may not seem to be prominent in this area, it could happen to some individuals.

Jane Troxell of Washington, a member of the credit union and a Cumberland native, discovered she was a victim of identity theft when a collection agency called and told her she owed $800 for cell phone charges. She didn’t have a cell phone, but the collection agency didn’t believe her.

It took almost a year to track down where the charges came from — a rental car agency she had used in Indiana.

Her driver’s license had not only her address and telephone number but also her Social Security number — a practice the District of Columbia has changed. Car rental agencies also require a major credit card.

The clerk at the car rental agency took advantage of that knowledge, bought a cell phone and ran up an $800 bill.

Troxell’s credit rating score dropped and she was considered a poor risk. She could not buy a house that she had saved for or get credit of any kind.

“The police were no help to me, personally, but it’s a good idea to file a report with them,” she said. “The cell phone company finally believed me after investigating the charges. The company found that the charges originated in Indiana, not D.C. where I lived.”

Folk said identity theft occurs when someone uses someone else’s personal information, such as name, Social Security number or credit card number, without permission to commit fraud or other crimes.

The victim does not discover the theft until it appears on a credit report or a credit card statement or until a debt collector calls.

“Identity theft is serious. While some victims may be able to resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and days to repair the damage to their good name and credit record,” said Folk.

The Federal Trade Commission advises the best way to deter identity theft is to secure anything that has personal information on it.

Correspondence, especially from credit card companies, should be shredded. New check orders delivered by mail need to be checked to make sure they have not been tampered with.

Personal information should never be given over the telephone.

Skilled identity thieves use some of the following ways to get personal information:

• Rummage through trash for bills.

• Phone consumers stating that their personal information may have been compromised and request verification.

• Steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device.

• Pretend to be financial institutions and send spam or pop-up messages to get Internet users to reveal their personal information.

• Change billing statement addresses to another location.

• Steal wallets, mail with bank and credit card statements, preapproved credit offers, new checks or tax information.

• Use false pretenses to obtain personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies or other businesses.

Folk is available to make identity theft presentations to civic groups and other organizations.

For more information, log on to www.ftc.gov or www. alco teachersfcu.org or contact the credit union at (301) 729-8015.