June 13th, 2008
Americans who view themselves as soldiers in the war on terror may want to wage a war on identity theft as well.
"Identity theft is any misuse or unauthorized use of a name or an identifier," such as a credit card number, job ID, a Social Security number or forged signature on a stolen check, explained FBI Supervisory Special Agent Doug Veivia.
Although identity theft can lead to financial turmoil for the holder, the crime can result in much greater consequences, Veivia said yesterday during an identity theft-prevention seminar held in the headquarters of the Staten Island Board of Realtors, Graniteville.
In a post 9-11 world, law enforcement is particularly concerned about illegally obtained government documents, Veivia said during the event, which was presented by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Education Committee in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center at the College of Staten Island.
"Anytime someone uses a stolen identity to get other identities made -- a driver's license, a passport, a visa or, perhaps, a green card," the ramifications can be much more serious than financial loss, such as crossing a border illegally or boarding an airplane to fly "when you should not be allowed to," Veivia said.
The first thing that both consumers and business people should do "is invest in a good shredder" to combat the theft of personal data from trash cans, otherwise know as "dumpster diving," Veivia said.
Among many other things, the FBI agent advised consumers to limit their financial liability by using credit cards rather than debit cards, and taking "everything out of your wallet, except your driver's license and one major credit card."
He also strongly suggested financial information not be kept on a hard drive, but maintained on a floppy disc that can be accessed when needed.
Business owners, he said, should never authorize an employee to pay bills without verification, and should be sensitive to points where their data may be compromised, such as staffers with access to such information, and the potential of workers being recruited by others for the purpose of stealing data.
David Frey, chief of the computer crime and identification unit of the Staten Island District Attorney's Office, suggested that business owners "make any employee in a position to cause a financial compromise take two straight weeks of vacation," adding that "its takes about two weeks on the average for something to show up."
Although less disturbing than threats to national security, the financial distress experienced by consumers in the wake of an identity theft can seem overwhelming.
It takes 40 hours on average to resolve the credit problems caused by such a crime, but it could take much longer, Frey said.
The impact on victims, he said, is similar to those of violent crimes.
"In fact," Frey said, "many people say they wish they had just been mugged."
Everyone, Veivia said, can minimize risk before providing personal identifiers.
Ask how it will be used, how it will be safeguarded, and if it will be shared, he advised. Also, monitor your credit activity by obtaining credit reports from each of the three main credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.
"These are the companies you want to contact to put credit guards on you account or to report that your identify is stolen," said Mortgage broker Anthony Focca of Custom Capital Corp., Bloomfield, who advised that consumers obtain a credit report at least once a year, and analyze the report for errors.