Identity theft growing in Lee County

It isn't only the rich like Bernie Madoff who are scamming from hardworking, trusting Americans — small-time thieves are getting their share too, through identity theft.

Identity theft complaints in Lee County shot up more than 16.5 percent in 2008, according to a Federal Trade Commission report. In the Naples/Marco Island area, identity theft complaints rose more than 24 percent above reported

identity thefts in 2007.

Identity theft is the taking of another person's personal information (such as a name, Social Security number, credit card number or passport) without that person's knowledge and the fraudulent use of that information. In other words, they steal your credit card number, run up bills and leave you to pay up.

"We have seen an increase in identity theft that could correlate with the economy going down," said Stacy Payne, Lee County Sheriff's Office community relations manager.

"We've seen a 45-percent increase of not just identity theft but other fraud cases as well. Arrests have been made and they are being prosecuted," she said.

Detective Sgt. David White of the Collier County Sheriff's Office of Economic Crimes put the increase at about 40 percent.

"It just keeps going up," Detective White said. "Every year it gets worse."

Those reports bear out the statistics for the entire state of Florida, said Tami Nealy, a certified theft risk management specialist with LifeLock, a private consumer protection firm.

"In the past nine years, since 2000, the numbers for identity theft have gone up 422 percent," Ms. Nealy said. "Statewide, Florida's identity theft has increased 26.8 percent from 2007."

The federal report evaluates 382 areas with populations of 100,000 or more and publishes a yearly report, the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book. This year's report rated Cape Coral-Fort Myers as having 668 identity theft complaints. That gave the area a 168 rank out of the metropolitan areas reporting. Naples-Marco Island had 411 complaints to rank 239.

Brownsville, Texas, ranked first, with Napa and Madera, Calif., coming in second and third.

Although the state attorney's office vigorously prosecutes identity theft as well as other fraud cases, prevention is the best guard against identity theft, said Samantha Syoen, communications director for the office.

Identity thieves ransack trash to find credit card and Social Security numbers. Once a thief possesses those numbers he can do more than max out the credit cards. He can open bank accounts and apply for loans in your name.

After exhausting the victim's credit, the thief leaves the creditors to come after the victim.

Shredding the paperwork before discarding it could foil those attempts, officials said.

Credit card numbers can also be stolen by servers at restaurants, White said. Thieves use easily hidden pocketsized devices to run a card through.

The device steals the information from the card's magnetic strip. The thief then transfers the magnetic information from the device to a blank card.

"It is best to get on the computer every day and check your credit card and debit card purchases," White said. "It only takes a couple minutes and can save you a lot."

The Lee County Sheriff's Office offers a Web site to help people protect themselves from identity theft, Internet fraud and other economic crimes: www.sheriffleefl.org/prevention/ economiccrime/

Identity theft protection tips

>> Assume they already have it. You've already given your personal information to all of your doctors, dentists, employers, health care providers and the list goes on. More than 90,000 Americans are notified daily that their information has been lost or stolen. Protect your credit today by placing a fraud alert with the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

>> Check financial statements promptly. Always review your monthly banking, brokerage, and creditcard statements for accuracy. If you own a home, check with your mortgage holder on a regular basis to ensure your home equity line-of-credit has not had any fraudulent activity. Report problems immediately.

>> Watch your credit. Order copies of your credit report every year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. They are: Equifax, 800-997-2493; TransUnion, 800-888-4213; and Experian, 888-397- 3742. Report errors promptly and in writing. To order your annual free credit report, go to www.annualcreditreport. com.

>> Be stingy with information. Never disclose your Social Security number, birth date, or mother's maiden name unless you initiated the transaction. On paper documents, don't include such data unless required to do so on an official application for employment, fi- nancing, or insurance. (Ask employers, schools, and financial institutions to offer alternatives.) Never put such information on personal Web pages or publicly posted résumés or directories.

>> Just say no. Consider "opting out" of information sharing at your financial institutions. (Check your company's financial privacy notice, which is mailed annually and usually posted on company Web sites, to find out how.) Also opt out of pre-approved credit offers by calling the Credit Reporting Industry Pre- Screening Opt-Out Number at 1-888-5-OPTOUT (888-567-8688).

>> Travel light. Don't carry identification that contains sensitive data like your Social Security number unless absolutely necessary.

>> Lock it up. Safeguard your driver's license and other government identification at all times. Lock desks, cabinets, and safes containing such information in your office and home.

>> Shred and destroy. Before throwing out files containing Social Security numbers, account numbers, and birth dates, shred them with a cross-cut shredder. Destroy CDs or floppy disks containing sensitive data by shredding, cutting, or breaking them. Use harddrive shredding software or remove and destroy your hard drive before discarding a computer. Just deleting files isn't enough.

>> Guard mail. Consider using a locked mailbox or slot to receive mail at home. Deposit mail in postal mailboxes or in the post office to discourage mail theft.

>> Keep your eye on the prize. Try not to let waiters, sales clerks, or gas-station attendants disappear from view with your credit or debit card, to avoid "skimming." Crooks can use a handheld card reader to copy the information from your card's magnetic strip.

>> Build a wall. Install firewalls and virus-detection software on your home computers to discourage hackers.

>> Log off. Quit your browser and log off after using public Internet-access computers in libraries, Internet cafes, and the like. Don't pay bills, bank, or conduct other financial transactions on public computers. If you have a high-speed Internet connection at home, unplug the computer's cable or phone line when you are not using it to discourage hackers.

>> Deal only with reputable Web sites. Check privacy and security policies of Web sites before making purchases, trading stocks, or banking online. A professional-looking Web site is no guarantee of security. Don't respond to unsolicited e-mail requests for personal information.

>> Hide yourself. Be cautious of the information you post on online social networks.

>> Shop smart. When shopping online check to make sure the site you are on is secure before entering any payment information.

>> Get complicated. Consider password-protecting all your bank and brokerage accounts. Create passwords at least eight characters long.

— Source: LifeLock