Monday, July 31, 2000
Identity thieves keep Caddo investigators busy
Just like on the old '60s game show, "What's My Line?," the crime of identity theft is causing Caddo investigators to ask, "Would the real Jane Doe please stand up?"
According to Trans Union, a national credit bureau, identity thieves collect billions of dollars each year by illegally assuming their victim's identity. Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator says some of that loss is from right here in Caddo Parish.
"It's happening every day," Prator said. "Our office takes calls on a regular basis from people who have personal information taken from them."
Last week, Caddo investigators charged two Shreveporters with the relatively new crime of identity theft. Veronica Nash, 19, and Norris Wright, 22, are accused of stealing a college student's purse in Natchitoches in 1999 and using the student's personal information to obtain credit cards. The cards were used at several locations in Shreveport and on the internet. Approximately $2,000 in goods were purchased.
Stolen wallets or purses provide a wealth of information for identity thieves, said Caddo Sheriff's White Collar Crime Investigator Jeff Ivey. So do trash, mail, receipts left behind with store clerks, or personal items left around the office.
Ivey said many times people don't know they've been victimized until it's too late. "The only way you'll find out is if you apply for credit or get a credit report," he said. "We recommend you check your credit every six months."
Prator added, "There is such a feeling of helplessness involved in these cases. Even when an arrest is made, the victim is often left to straighten out the mess caused by the thief, and that could take months."
To protect yourself from identity theft, Prator warns:
1) Release your social security number only when absolutely necessary. Never give it out on the phone, and never include it on personal checks;
2) Never allow sales clerks to copy credit card numbers on the back of personal checks for additional information;
3) Don't place outgoing mail on your mailbox. All mail should be mailed through a U.S. Post Office box;
4) Shred all mail before discarding anything obtaining account numbers;
5) Carry only a few credit cards with you. Cancel all others that you don't use. Cutting up credit cards doesn't cancel them. If a thief gets a copy of your credit report, these unused accounts can easily be reactivated and a new card can be obtained; and
6) When obtaining a new driver's license, request that the bureau place all zeroes in the area designated for your social security number.
To obtain a copy of your credit report call Trans Union at 1-800-888-4213; Experian at 1-888-397-3742; Equifax at 1-800-685-1111; or CSC Credit Services at 1-800-759-5979.