Students, others learn dangers of identity theft

When it comes to protecting your identity, Loren Carl has only one recommendation: "Be paranoid."

Don't give out personal information and destroy identifying documents before discarding, he said.

Carl, a field representative for congressman Ben Chandler of the 6th District in Kentucky, spoke to a gathering at the Central High School library Tuesday night.

Carl is a 32-year law enforcement veteran who worked with Chandler when the congressman was the attorney general in Kentucky in 1998 and continues his work educating the public on identity theft and how to protect themselves.

Carl gave a presentation to high school students and the public in two separate meetings Tuesday and will give another presentation today to school faculty and staff.

Julia Jorgensen, program organizer and Central High School librarian, said the three seminars were a service to the community in the hopes education would prevent Cape Girardeau residents from becoming identity theft victims.

"We are very naive here in Cape Girardeau," Jorgensen said. "We think everybody likes us. It's that naivete that makes us vulnerable to become victims."

Popular techniques

Carl provided news footage of victims of identity theft and popular identity theft techniques.

Like the one where the restaurant cashier scans a diner's credit card onto their Palm Pilot when they aren't looking.

Called "skimming," the practice is quickly spreading due the lucrative prices thieves can get when they sell the information contained on the magnetic strip on the credit card, Carl said.

Attendees also learned about trash diggers, mail thieves, Internet phishers, purse snatchers and payroll, personnel department and credit bureau employees who access company records and sell personal information or use it themselves.

A shudder went through the library when Carl referred to the recent invasion of TJX's database -- which operates more than 2,500 stores, including T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.

To cut down on identity theft, Carl recommended scrutinizing bills carefully and monitoring your credit rating through one of the three national credit bureaus -- TransUnion, Equifax or Experian.

He also recommends putting a fraud alert with one of the bureaus, which must be renewed every 90 days.

That will prevent thieves from opening new accounts in your name at a store location, Carl said.

"Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the nation," he said. "There are 6,000 victims per day nationwide and $5 billion is lost each year."

Those costs are passed on to consumers, he said.

Surprisingly, victims' family members or ex-spouses make up the largest segment of Internet thieves, he said.

"The best key is education and awareness," he said.

For more information, visit www.identitytheft.com, he said, and report any incidents of identity theft to local police immediately to stop telephone calls from creditors relating to fraudulent charges.

carel@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127