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Identity Theft and You
By Rosanne Dausilio, Ph.D.
Do you supply personal information over the internet?
Do you use your credit card online?
Do you hand your credit card to servers at restaurants?
Do you carry your social security card in your wallet?
According to the F.B.I. and the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is the fastest-growing white-collar crime in the United States estimated at 10 million people victimized each year.
Nowadays, when your purse or wallet gets stolen, the cash inside may not be the only thing a thief wants to steal. The most valuable items in your wallet are your Social Security number, ATM card, credit cards, bank checks, and any other items containing your personal information.
Additionally, during the course of a busy day, you share this information when making transactions in person, over the telephone and online to buy goods and services.
By the way, the fastest growing identity theft form is unauthorized access to checking accounts estimated at 2 million people, 70% of those people do banking or pay bills online.
Are you able to say "yes, that's me," to many of the above? Me, too. As a matter of fact, more than two years ago when I was passing through Caracas, Venezuela, on my way back from Marguerita Island I bought a fan as a souvenir from the gift shop ($5.00) at the airport. Several months ago (and over two years later) a $6,000 charge appeared on my Mastercard bill for 'vitamins' from (you guessed it, Caracas, Venezuela).
When I reported it to the fraud department and it was finally taken off my bill, it turned out there was a money laundering outfit in Caracas they had been watching.
However, the feeling of violation, helplessness, upset, anger—a whole range of feelings--not to mention the time it took to get it taken care of when it was NOT my fault to begin with, to get a new card, to be grilled by the credit card companies, etc…you get the picture, and maybe it's even happened to you.
I know I'm not alone. Since then it has happened to be on several occasions so I've now got protection (insurance) and sleep peacefully at night. I am now proactive in my own behalf, which we all need to be. What are some of the things I do?
I only take those identification cards with me that I will use on any given day.
I take important papers to the post office and hand them to an agent. For instance, my passport was up for renewal this year. As you may know, in order to renew you must send your current passport. I wasn't comfortable putting my passport into just any mailbox. I walked it into the post office and handed it to an agent. I'm happy to report I already have received my new one, together with the old one as a souvenir.
This is a huge topic, impacting all of us. Rest assured I will continue to write about identity theft and provide as much 'what do I do scenarios' as I can, together with resources available to all of us. If you've been impacted by identity theft and want to tell me your story, you can email me at rosanne@identitytheftandyou.com. Or sign up for more information at www.IdentityTheftandYou.com
About the Author
ROSANNE D'AUSILIO, Ph.D., industrial psychologist, President of Human Technologies Global, known as 'champion for the human' authors 3 best sellers, "Wake Up Your Call Center: Humanize Your Interaction Hub," Customer Service and the Human Experience, and Lay Your Cards on the Table: 52 Ways to Stack Your Personal Deck, (http://www.human-technologies.com.) and a free 'tips' newsletter on How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch at http://www.HumanTechTips.com.
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