Class on identity theft aims to reduce number of victims

The statistics issued by the Federal Trade Commission are staggering when it comes to victims of identity crimes -- in the last five years more than 27.3 million Americans were victims. The fraud loss to those victims totaled $50 billion and the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the individual consumers/victims of those crimes accounted for an additional $5 billion.

In light of those facts, Stephen Petro, resident agent in charge of the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General Office of Investigations, is hosting a free Identity Crime Awareness seminar as part of Spencerport's Continuing Education courses. "Identity theft is a huge crime and an individual's Social Security number has evolved to be 'the' pin used to perpetrate this crime," Petro explained. "I don't think that when the Social Security Administration was created in 1935 that Congress foresaw that the Social Security number would be the common denominator for all Americans."

That number is an integral part of identity crimes because of its prevalent use as an identifier. "On average, it takes an individual 14 months before they discover they have been the victim of identity theft and after the discovery it takes about one and a half years to get your credit straightened out," he said.

One of the main problems, Petro explained, is that the victims and the perpetrators are generally separated by thousands of miles. "You could be living in Rochester and have your identity stolen by someone living in Arizona," he said. "The distance complicates the investigation because multiple jurisdictions are involved."

Common sense appears to be the way to safeguard your identity against theft. Making certain documents with proprietary information are shredded before being tossed in the garbage, never giving personal information over the telephone and if someone asks for your Social Security number, Petro advises individuals to challenge that request. "I would certainly ask why they need it; what safeguards are in place so that information can't be picked up by someone else," he said. "I would challenge anyone who asks for it to determine if you should give that number up."

Petro also advises against on-line ordering, "I'd really want to be certain the convenience of ordering on line is worth the potential risk," he said. "If you do order on line I would make certain to only use one card all the time and to make sure that card has a very minimal credit limit."

Making sure no one is standing over your shoulder at an automatic teller machine is another way to safeguard personal identity. Limiting the amount of personal information on a personal check is another way to safeguard identity, he said. "Phishing" scams are another way personal information is gathered. That scam, Petro said, involves an individual calling to say they need personal and credit card information in order to update banking records. "The elderly are normally the victims of this type of scam," he said.

Petro, who has 34 years in law enforcement, said he decided to host this free class in Spencerport to let individuals know ways to protect themselves and to tell them what needs to be done if they discover they are the victims of identity theft. He will discuss the types of identity theft that are perpetrated as well as ways to minimize the chances of becoming a victim.

The free class is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on November 15 at the Spencerport High School. Call 349-5680 to register.