Kansas Attorney
General Warns of Current Telephone Scam Kansas Attorney General Warns of Current Telephone Scam Attorney General Phil Kline warned Kansans of a
phone scam that is targeting residents throughout the state, especially
the elderly. How Not to Get Hooked by a ‘Phishing’ Scam Internet scammers casting about for people’s financial information have a new way to lure unsuspecting victims: They go “phishing.” Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with – for example, your Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message usually says that you need to “update” or “validate” your account information. It might threaten some dire consequence if you don’t respond. The message directs you to a Web site that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site, but it isn’t. The purpose of the bogus site? To trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name. The FTC, the nation’s consumer protection agency, suggests these tips to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam:
Check Your Credit Report for Activity If you think your identity has been stolen, contact the fraud departments of the three major credit bureaus to request a copy of your credit report and have a fraud alert placed on your credit file. You should contact each of the credit bureaus because some credit companies only report to one bureau. A copy of your credit report will cost about $9.00 each. However, you are entitled to a free report if:
Each credit reporting company has different procedures and time frames for fraud alerts. Verify their procedures and time frames when contacting them.
The new Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act goes into effect December 1, 2004. As a result of the legislation, each person can receive one free credit report a year from the credit bureaus. People living in the Midwest may request their free credit report in March 2005. If you suspect that your identity has been stolen or that you might be at risk, there are steps you can take that will provide additional security for your existing accounts. Password Protection Credit Monitoring Service Shred Unneeded Documents For more information on protecting your accounts, visit Consumer Reports, which offers free information on their Web site. Children the Newest Victims of ID Theft Identity theft has taken an ugly twist – crooks are stealing the identities of children. Along with pristine credit records, thieves get plenty of time to commit their crimes and move on. It usually isn’t until a child gets his drivers license or fills out a college application, which can be a decade or more after the theft, that the crime comes to light. Identity theft is growing fast. The FTC reports receiving more than 3,000 calls each week via its identity-theft hotline, up from 285 in 1999. While child ID theft makes up 2 percent of cases, law enforcement officials fear that it will grow rapidly as criminals look for new victims. An identity thief might be someone who works at a health clinic or school that has records with the child’s personal information. Sadly, it’s often a family member or close friend with access to the victim’s Social Security number or birth certificate. Warning Signs Protect Information
If identity theft has occurred, parents should file a report with the police. To report Social Security fraud, contact the Social Security Administration at (800) 269-0271. Parents can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Clearinghouse at 877-ID-THEFT (438-4338). The credit reporting bureaus can be contacted at: Equifax (800) 525-6285, Experian (888) 397-3742, and Trans Union (800) 680-7289. New Law Offers Help Preventing Identity Theft Consumers have a new law that protects their financial privacy and fights identity theft. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, signed into law by President Bush in December 2003, has a number of provisions that offer early warning of identity theft and offer victims additional tools for resolving cases of identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 9.9 million people were identity theft victims in 2002, costing them $5 billion out-of-pocket to clear up their cases. Under the new federal law, consumers will be able to:
In addition, the law requires businesses to verify that a consumer actually incurred a debt in question before turning their case over to a collection agency. A call or letter from a bill collector is often the first indication to a consumer that his identity has been stolen. This new requirement should provide consumers early warning that a fraudulent account has been opened in their name. This law is the first to create national safeguards against identity theft, and it pre-empts most state laws on the subject. Even with these new protections, it is still important to use common sense prevention, such as shredding documents containing sensitive personal information and keeping your Social Security number confidential. For more information on preventing or dealing with identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site, Deter. Detect. Defend. Avoid ID Theft. Identity Theft Risk When Searching for Jobs Online If you’re searching for a job using online recruiting sites, beware of phony job listings posted in an effort to steal your personal information. Identity thieves, posing as employers, respond to resumes by leading a job seeker to believe that they are about to be offered a position. The applicant is then told they must first pass a “background check” requiring personal data such as Social Security and checking account numbers. The thieves can then open credit cards and take out loans with the information they have obtained. Jill Pletcher, director of Career Services at Wichita State University, helps hundreds of WSU graduates each semester find jobs. She suggests double-checking the validity of job listings by visiting a company’s web site before applying through services like Monster.com. She also recommends that applicants double-check company contact information. “It’s always to the candidate’s advantage to call the company to verify name spelling and addresses,” says Pletcher. That allows you to verify that the contact person works there and that information you’ve been given matches the company’s. You should also protect other information, such as your e-mail address. “Since e-mail addresses are so readily available through companies like Hotmail and Yahoo, create an e-mail address expressly for the job search,” says Pletcher. While most online job listings are legitimate, exercise caution by following these guidelines to help prevent you from becoming a victim of identity theft:
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