She didn't see it coming. In March of 1993, Gwendolyn Lewis
anxiously prepared to start a new chapter of her life in Florida, where
she was relocating with a new job and home. The furniture had been
shipped, her Virginia home placed on the market. Everything seemed to
be going smoothly, that is, until she received an alarming phone call
the evening before her departure. It was from a furniture company,
threatening to garnish her wages if she didn't pay more than $3,000 in charges made in her name. The problem: Lewis never made
those purchases.
"I really didn't know
what to make of it," recalls Lewis, who now works as an attorney in
Washington, D.C. "They verified that it was my Social Security number
and my name." With that personal identifying information, the
perpetrator left a trail of ruined credit that Lewis is still dealing
with more than a decade later as yet another victim of identity theft.
"I will feel violated until I find this woman, if I ever do," she
admits.
Lewis is not alone in
her struggle. An estimated 9 million Americans are victims of identity
theft each year, according to federal government statistics, a figure
that isn't surprising to experts. "This is the fastest growing
financial crime in the nation," says Tanja L. Darrow, an attorney for
Littler Mendelson in Los Angeles, who regularly advises employers on
identity theft.
While Lewis doesn't
know who stole her identity, most victims of this type of fraud can't
say the same. In fact, Darrow says that "more than 50 percent of the
time, it's somebody you know," like a friend, neighbor or family
member. Whether the thief is known or unknown, that person is still
stealing someone else'
s personal information--such as a name, Social Security number or credit
card number--for use in committing fraud.
And in an era where
technology reigns supreme, connecting the dots of someone's life is not
that hard. Just check out social networking sites like Facebook and
MySpace, which have become increasingly popular for people of all ages
to reconnect and network on both a personal and professional level. "It
would shock you how much personal information people expose about
themselves because they are not in the mindset that everybody's out to
get you," Darrow says. "People just need to be more cautious."
Such sensitive personal
information can also be gleaned from stolen purses or mail, which may
hold credit card offers or other sensitive financial information.
Thieves may resort to dumpster diving, where they dig through trash
searching for bills and other documents rich in personal identifying
information. And anyone who has received e-mails from imposter
companies or financial institutions requesting personal information,
like confirming a banking account number online, has witnessed
"phishing" firsthand.
"People get duped
through phone or written correspondence," explains Darrow, who warns
against opening e-mails from unknown people or clicking on to un
known hyperlinks. "Do not do it!" she insists. Instead, Darrow urges
computer users to make smart investments in personal firewall and
anti-spyware software to protect against information hijackers. Most
experts agree identity theft is a crime without prejudice, striking
regardless of race, creed, color or economic status. So is there any
way to avoid becoming a target?
"There's no fool-proof
way to prevent identity theft completely," says Harrine Freeman, a
personal finance expert with H.E. Freeman Enterprises in Bethesda,
Maryland. But there are ways to reduce the risks of victimization. However,
most of those steps require individuals to do something that is often
easier said than done: become their own best advocates.
"You should never give
anyone your Social Security number unless they have a good reason. And
the two questions to ask to find out if it's a good reason are: Why do
you need it? And what will happen if I don't give it to you?" stresses
Linda Foley, who founded the Identity Theft Resource Center in San
Diego after a former employer stole her personal information and
"within two days bought a cell phone and within three weeks had started
applying for credit cards."
Still, there are some calculated measures every person can take to limit their exposure to identity theft.
- Shred, shred, shred! The biggest mistake people make is not shredding credit card offers and other confidential information before tossing them into the trash, Darrow says. Invest in a crosscut--cuts vertically and horizontally--paper shredder that can be picked up at your local office supply store.
- Put personal information on lockdown. Keep mail safe and out of the wrong hands by having a locked mailbox. And don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse. Instead, stash it away with other sensitive personal information in a locked, fireproof safe.
- Be a savvy online shopper. When shopping online, look for the VeriSign seal, a lock symbol or changes in the browser's address bar from "http" to "https" or "shttp" as clues that the site is secure. Also, look for a contact number and a physical address on Web sites. "An e-mail address only is a red flag," Freeman warns.
- Request credit reports. Don't get caught up in companies offering credit reports as a perk for signing on for their fraud monitoring services. Under federal law, consumers have the right to check their credit reports for free once a year and can click on to annualcreditreport.com or call (877) 322-8228.
- Get your eagle eye on. Closely monitor monthly bills, bank and credit card stat ements for any irregularities. "I go through line by line of my credit card statements every month," Darrow shares.
-- Arnesa A. Howell
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