Identity theft: Protect yourself Published June 28, 2007 By 1st Lt. Vicki Marcus 92nd Air Refueling Wing legal office assistance staff judge advocate FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Most people have read the articles and warnings. Many have heard horror stories from friends and loved ones. And many people are becoming victims themselves. The problem of identity theft is not new, but technology has allowed scam artists to become more creative and target a larger audience. Unfortunately, more and more of these scams are targeting the military community. The only way to protect yourself is to be aware. Phishing is a technique of gathering personal information online. An e-mail is sent to an unsuspecting consumer claiming to be from a legitimate source and requesting private information. The e-mail directs the consumer to a web site where his/her personal information is "updated." Information sought includes passwords, date of birth, credit card, social security and bank account numbers. The legitimate business already has this information, and the web site provided through the e-mail is set up solely for the purpose of stealing this sensitive information. There are several ways to protect yourself from identity theft online. Beware of any e-mails that claim you must act quickly or your account will be suspended or closed, or those that do not address you by name while asking for sensitive information. Do not click on any links provided in these suspicious e-mails. And do not ever give out account information, personal information, or pin numbers to organizations that contact you via e-mail. Many of these scam e-mails appear to originate with legitimate organizations. A tool also utilized for these scams is pharming, which redirects a user to a fake web site, even when they correctly entered the address. These web sites look real, but are used to collect the personal information entered in them. If you receive e-mail requests for your information from a company you regularly do business with or have accounts through, contact the organization by telephone, using a billing statement for the correct phone number. The business can verify whether the updated information is required, and you can control how that information is disseminated. If you believe you have been the victim of one of these scams you may contact the three credit reporting agencies to obtain a credit report and place an alert on your credit file: Experian at (888) 397-3742; Equifax at (800) 685-1111; or TransUnion at (800) 888-4213. In general, use common sense and report any suspicious requests for information. For more information, contact the Fairchild legal office at 647-2838 or DSN 247-2838.
