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Identity theft a local problem |
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Friday, September 26 2008 |
By Michelle Berry
Reporter
According to Borger’s local police force, identity theft is also a local problem.
Lieutenant Anthony Griffin was part of a panel that spoke to the public during an ID theft seminar held by the Hutchinson County Retired School Personnel Association last Thursday. He said the City of Borger averages about three to five cases of identity theft per month.
Griffin said anytime a person uses a credit card to make a purchase, they are taking a risk in doing so. He said if a customer is using the card right in front of a sales clerk, it would be probably be considered fairly safe. However, he did say there are exceptions to this.
“I’ve gone to schools, and they’ve told stories of people giving their credit card to a waiter and they take it back and actually cash you out,” he said. “They’ll have a little machine on which they will swipe the card, and then they have your credit card.”
Janna Kiehl, CEO of the Better Business Bureau and the keynote speaker for the seminar, said she knows of a Borger resident who does not let his credit card out of his sight, and follows waiters to the back of restaurants as they make transactions to be sure his identity is protected.
She said this is one option people can take when protecting their credit, but there are other ways to make sure one’s identity is protected.
“You don’t want to be paranoid. There are measures you can take to try to make sure you’re not a victim,” Kiehl said.
She said she recommends checking one’s accounts on a regular basis, at least monthly, and people need to be sure their bank accounts are balanced.
“The bank will work with you,” Kiehl said. “But if you’re not willing to help yourself and you bring in six or seven months of bank statements and you haven’t looked at your account in that long, they’re going to have a different attitude towards you.”
She said people need to take care of their business and be sure they know what is going on. Their accounts need to be balanced and they need to know what is in their accounts at all times, as well as keep track of their transactions.
“Save your receipts so you can match them up,” Kiehl said.
She said there was a good chance that at least three people in the room would have their identity stolen in the next two years. There are steps people need to take when such a thing happens to them, according to Kiehl.
“First of all, you need to report it. It’s a crime,” she said. “It was committed against you and you need a record of that crime. You need a police report in order to let people know you were the victim of a crime and not the perpetrator. It gets all muddy there when you start trying to fix things.”
The second thing Kiehl advises people to do is go to their bank and close their account. She said she knows doing such a thing is a hassle, but sometimes maintaining one’s security can be a hassle in itself.
The third thing people need to do is contact their credit reporting agency and let it know that they want to put a fraud alert on their account.
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Last Updated ( Monday, September 29 2008 )
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