IDENTITY FRAUDTHEFT

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IDENTITY FRAUD/THEFT
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Information Available Locally

• Property records
• Liens
• Business licenses/DBAs
• Civil cases (divorce/personal lawsuit)
• Criminal cases

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Information Available Locally

• Bankruptcy
• Marriage/birth/death certificates
• Trusts/wills
• Voter registration

COURTHOUSE
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What Will We Look At ..

• What is Identity Theft and how does it occur.
• How to reduce your risk of becoming an Identity
  Theft victim.
  
• What to do if you become a victim of Identity
  Theft.

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What is IDENTITY CRIME ?

• The theft or misuse of personal or financial
  identifiers in order to gain something of value
  and/or facilitate other criminal activity.

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What is IDENTITY THEFT ?

• A CRIME!
• 1998 Congress passed the Identity Theft and
  Assumption Deterrence Act, which prohibits
  
• Knowingly transfering or using, without
  lawful authority, a means of identification of
  another person with the intent to commit, or to
  aid or abet, any unlawful activity that
  constitutes a violation of Federal law, or that
  constitutes a felony under any applicable state
  law.
• 15 year max sentence, fine, and property
  forfeiture.
  

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We share PERSONAL Information Every Day ..

• To obtain credit cards
• Obtain loans
• To open checking accounts
• Apply for a job
• Show drivers license to write a check
• Use credit card to purchase lunch
• Share name, address, phone number w/ a complete
  stranger to enter sweepstakes
  
• Schools, employers and doctors offices

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Such THEFT steals more than your Money .

• The Thief STEALS
• YOU !!

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ID THEFT occurs by .

• Thieves get your SSN or financial data
• Thieves assume your identity
• Thieves make fraudulent credit charges
• Thieves get loans and open bank accounts
• Thieves write bad checks on your accounts
• Thieves commit crimes in your name
• Thieves work in your name

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REDUCING your risk of ID Theft

• Guard your Social Security Number
• Guard your privacy
• Be careful of what you/family tell others about
  yourself
  
• Know what information is available about you in
  public areas
  
• Protect your mail

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ONLINE SAFETY

• Phishing as in fishing for consumer data
• Fraudulent e-mails asking customers for personal
  data
  
• Uses a hyperlink that looks genuine
• Type in the site itself dont use the hyperlink.

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Counterfeit IDMade Easy!                      
                                                  
  http//www.blackmarket-press.net                
                
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To reduce your RISK, also .

• Account for your receipts
• Protect your trash use a shredder
• Take steps to protect your phone

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If you are a VICTIM .

• Keep a written record
• Call your local law enforcement department
  immediately and file a report (a necessity!)
  
• Get a copy of your police report and case
  number.
  
• Contact all three credit bureaus. Have your
  accounts flagged and that they add a victims
  statement so that you are contacted to verify
  future credit applications.
• Experian Allen, Texas 888(Experian)
• Equifax - Atlanta, Georgia 800-997-2493
• Trans Union Springfield, Pa. 800-680-7289

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As a victim, also .

• Contact your bank, savings and loan or credit
  union service department.
  
• Contact your credit card companies. Get
  replacement cards with new account numbers and
  ask that the old account be processed as account
  closed at consumers request for credit record
  purposes. Follow up with this in writing.

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FACT(Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act)

• Signed by President Bush on Dec. 4, 2003
• Oversight by Federal Trade CommissionNo details
  yet still a year from implementation
  
• Will allow a free credit report yearly from all
  three major credit bureaus.
  
• Victims of identity theft can get copy now.
• Residents of Colorado, Georgia, Maine,
  Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, and Vermont
  also have free access to free credit reports

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WEB SITES FOR INFORMATION .

• Federal Trade Commission federal clearinghouse
  for complaints by victims
  
• http//www.consumer.gov/
• Privacy Rights ClearingHouse
• http//www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm
• Identity Theft Resource Center
• http//www.idtheftcenter.com/index.shtml
• U.S. Dept. of Justice
• http//www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service
• http//www.usps.com/postalinspectors/idthft_ncpw.h
  tm
  

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QUESTIONS?