Tiger Weekly - Serving Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Identity theft in BR: Someone has a copy of my card

By Rachael Lundy

Consumers take risks daily that put their financial status in the hands of strangers – literally. Every time a diner grabs a bite to eat and then turns his or her MasterCard over to the wait staff, this individual is at risk of becoming a victim of the growing industry of identity theft – and this is just one scenario out of many in which one’s financial identity can be so easily corrupted.

It is no secret that identity theft happens frequently, and everyone has heard stories of some unfortunate individual who has had his or her credit card information stolen by someone else. This happens simply by placing the card into the wrong person’s hands. What that person does with this monetary information can be surprising.

Criminals now have the technology to make an actual physical copy of a consumer’s card to be later used by the unlawful thief at his or her leisure. They no longer have to limit their purchasing power because now they too have a physical copy of the card of some unsuspecting cardholder. This reason alone is incentive enough to monitor one’s financial transactions on a daily basis, which can save consumers from a big headache in the long run.

“The criminal element has gotten the technology to duplicate credit-debit cards,” said Casey Rayborn Hicks, public information director of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. “These items are used fraudulently all over the country. Most of the encoded information from a legitimate card is obtained via a point-of-sale terminal highjack. Most hijacking is occurring in overseas countries then sold on the Internet back into this country. This is why the fraudulent activity seems to always occur in cities away from the victims’ residencies.

In order to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, the U.S. Department of Justice suggests that consumers “be stingy about giving out their personal information; check their financial information regularly; ask periodically for a copy of their credit report; and maintain careful records of all banking and financial accounts.”

When dining out, it may behoove the consumer to pay with cash, in lieu of having a stranger walk off with one’s personal credit-debit card. Unfortunately, restaurants have seen an increase in identity theft because a trusting patron decided to pay with a card. One never knows what happens when that employee walks out of sight.

Proceed with caution when making any credit-debit purchases. When shopping online, verify that the Web site is protected by Authorize.Net or some other online, financial protection.

Identity theft also takes place when personal information is discarded inappropriately.

“Don’t throw away mail with personal information without thoroughly shredding it,” said Hicks. “You don’t want to put anything out there for someone to take your identity.

Hicks also advises to never give any personal information out over the phone. Taking these few measures will assist in protecting one’s credit.

In the event that none of these precautionary measures keeps one’s identity safe, there are steps that can be taken in order to remedy the situation.

“To prepare for the possibility of theft of your wallet, you should keep records of all credit cards you carry with you,” said Hicks. “In the event of having your wallet stolen, you should immediately call and cancel all cards, call and notify your bank and notify the credit bureaus. Then call your local law enforcement agency. They will walk you through the process of protecting yourself from further theft and help you rectify past theft. In some cases, they can track who the perpetrator is and bring them to justice.”

In accordance with The Federal Trade Commission, an identity theft victim should take the following actions: “Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports; close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently; file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission; and file a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.”

Identity theft is a very common occurrence and it is a timely matter to remedy. Taking these measures may help prevent this from happening, but it is no guarantee. Make wiser decisions when using one’s credit-debit cards and, essentially, don’t be so trusting in handing it over.

Originally Published: January 28, 2009

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