Group Plans Protect Your Identity Week
Last updated Friday, October 17, 2008 3:40 PM CDT in Business
By Kim Souza
THE MORNING NEWS
SPRINGDALE -- Dayna Bauer of Rogers knows too well the importance of protecting one's identity. As a victim of identity theft twice in her life, she takes no chances today.
"One morning my phone rang and an attendant at a local Exxon station said he had recovered my credit card. I thought my card was in my wallet, but when I went to check both the card and my drivers license were missing," Bauer said.
Luckily for Bauer, the perpetrator tried to use her card at a business that she often frequented -- which allowed the attendant to stop the fraud, but not before $3,000 in food, beer and fuel had been charged earlier that week at a string of establishments between Houston and Galveston, Texas.
The first crime happened 18 years ago and Bauer said thankfully she had left her Social Security card and other credit cards at home or the damage would have been far worse.
Bauer said the second crime was far more subtle but also caught early to mitigate the damage.
"Following a trip to the Bahamas in July, I went online to check my American Express statement to verify the charges I had made and was surprised to find a $998 pending charge for an Internet purchase. I immediately called American Express and found out they had flagged the transaction and had found more than 1,000 fraudulent transactions to that same Internet site among their customers in July alone." Bauer said.
She still doesn't know how her American Express card was used but is thankful the company has caught those behind the security breach. Bauer said she now checks her statement every Saturday to ensure the crime has been resolved.
Betsy Broder, assistant director of the Federal Trade Commission, said in any given year identity theft fraud affects 10 million people, costing businesses $50 billion. On top of that, Broder said victims have spent $5 billion trying to undo the harm they have suffered from these crimes.
When an identity has been stolen, it is an open-ended problem as victims sometimes face hardships in clearing their name, restoring their credit and peace of mind, Broder said.
In an effort to educate the public about the dangers of identity theft, Credit Counseling of Arkansas is sponsoring a series of workshops next week across Northwest Arkansas.
"Protect Your Identity Week," was set aside by the National Foundation of Credit Counseling.
Broder urges everyone to stop and look at what they are carrying around in their wallets. She said stop carrying Social Security cards, because that is the single-most crucial tool that thieves can use to secure credit.
Thieves can also do a lot of damage with documents they find in the trash. Broder and other suggest shredding documents that contain Social Security numbers, bank and other financial account information.
CCOA will provide shredding all week throughout the region as well as credit report reviews and identity theft seminars led by the Arkansas Attorney General's Office.
Credit experts say consumers cannot afford to ignore the problem, it's real and it's growing thanks to the use of technology and breaches within security systems.
"No one ever thinks it will happen to them, but I am here to say it can," Bauer said.
Web Watch
www.ftc.gov
www.ccoacares.com
Protect Your Identity Week Oct. 19-24
Tuesday
Bentonville Public Library, 405 S. Main
Credit Report Reviews 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Shredding 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Identity Theft Seminars Noon and 6 p.m.
Wednesday
Siloam Springs, Signature Bank, 200 N. Progress
Identity Theft Seminar noon
Shredding 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Credit Report Review 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Thursday
Fayetteville, Credit Counseling of Arkansas offices, 111 Zion Road
Shredding 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Identity Theft Seminars noon and 6 p.m.
Credit Report Reviews 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday
Springdale, First Security Bank, 100 W. Emma
Identity Theft Seminar noon
Shredding 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Credit Report Reviews 9:30 a.m.-noon.
For more information call 521-8877 or visit CCOA online at www.ccoacares.com.
Source: Staff Report
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