Prevention Blog

8/14/2019 Prevention Blog

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Identity Theft PreventionIdentity Theft Prevention

Steps you can take to minimize risk



IntroductionIntroduction

• Craig Martinez

• Sergeant for the Orem Department of

Public Safety

• Over 11 years Federal, State and Local law

enforcement experience

• Three years as a Fraud Investigator

• Investigated hundreds of fraud cases



StatisticsStatistics

Number of ID Theft victims in the U.S.

$1,620

Average fraud amount per victim (out of

pocket expense)

$49.3 Billion

Total one year fraud amount

43%

Of victims knew the perpetrator



Statistics ContinuedStatistics Continued

600 Hours

71%

Average time spent by victims trying to fix the

problems caused by ID theft

22%

Increase of ID Theft victims from last year

Of fraud happens within one week of information

being stolen




An estimated 19 percent of “those attacked” have

clicked on the link in a phishing e-mail. Most, if

not all, large financial institutions and electronic bill-paying services (such as PayPal) have been hit

with phishing attacks.

“Phishing will be defined later in the presentation”




Because many phishing attacks originate overseas

and because the average life span of a phishing web

site is 2.25 days, the sites are hard to shut down.

Nearly 1/4 of all victims - roughly 2.5 million

people in the last year - said their informationwas lost or stolen, including lost or stolen credit

cards, checkbooks or social security cards.




Stolen mail was the source of information for identity thieves in

4% of all victims - 400,000 in the last year.

ID Theft IS the fastest growing crime in the

country and will continue to be unless we

educate each other on how to prevent it.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prevention-blog 9/77Why do this?



When you can do this and make 100 times the

money!



There are no guaranteesThere are no guarantees

Some things are out of our control.

If someone wants to steal your identity, chances are they

WILL

However, you can take steps to minimize your exposure

to and risk of ID theft and Fraud



Ways to Protect Yourself Ways to Protect Yourself

Use a Shredder to shred anything with ANY of your

personal information on it

Be wary of “Shoulder Surfers”, people watching you

enter your PIN number

“Confetti” shredder is preferred

Do not put checks in your mailbox, drop them off at a

postal mail box, due to check “washing”

-Check washing is the process of erasing details from checks to allow

them to be rewritten, usually for criminal purposes.




ContinuedContinued

Be aware when you are supposed to be receiving credit cards or checks and check when they don’t come

Cancel all credit cards that you don’t use

Do not write your PIN number down

Do not respond to emails claiming to be from your bank

asking for verification of information, contact theminstead (This holds true for any financial institution)

Do not carry your birth certificate or SSN card in your

wallet, leave it at home (Unless you need it)




ContinuedContinuedDo not print your license number, SSN, phone number,

or birth date on your checks

Monitor all of your bank and credit card statements,

look for anything on it that you didn’t authorize

Sign your credit cards immediately; try using “See ID”

along with your signature

Some financial institutions won’t cover fraud when a

card is not signed




ContinuedContinuedDon’t answer questions to someone on the phone that you don’t know

If you are going to be out of town, have a trusted

neighbor pick up your mail for you or have the post

office put a vacation hold on your mail

Once again, if they need it, you can call them back at a phone number that you know belongs to them

Lock all of your important documents in a safe or hide

them




ContinuedContinuedBe wary of making purchases on the internet, if you do try and use a card

with a small limit and verify that the website is secure (https)

https://www.wellsfargo.com

When you pay with your credit card, make sure the

person you give the card returns yours and not a fake

one

When you leave a receipt make sure the account number

is x’d out

If it isn’t, walk receipt to server and don’t leave it

behind




ContinuedContinuedWatch for “Skimmers”

A device that copies the information on the

magnetic strip on debit and credit cards

Above camera is used to record you entering you PIN number.




ContinuedContinued Never leave any valuables in your car, especially in plain view

(Always lock your car, even when it’s parked at home)

Never leave your purse/wallet unattended

Especially when shopping and putting things away

after shoppingWhen at restaurants make sure your purse is zipped up

and keep it under the table, attached to your foot, if

possible




ContinuedContinuedCheck with your insurance company to see if they cover for ID theft

Keep a list (Photo copy) of all your card numbers alongwith customer service phone numbers in case of theft

DO NOT keep the above list in your purse or

wallet. Keep it in a safe or somewhere safe at homeGet a copy of your credit report every four months and

review it for errors



Protect accountsProtect accounts

Place passwords on your credit card, bank, and phone accounts.

Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the lastfour digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

When opening new accounts, you may find thatmany businesses still have a line on their applications for your mother's maiden name. Ask if you can use a password instead.



Protect informationProtect information

Secure personal information in your home,

especially if you have roommates, employ outside

help, or are having work done in your home.Ask about information security procedures in your

workplace or at businesses, doctor's offices or

other institutions that collect your personally

identifying information.




ContinuedContinued If you were a criminal looking to steal someone’s identity, which house would you choose?

A home with an open garage is an easy target for thieves.

http://www.threeq.com/images/adt.jpeg



Protect informationProtect information

Don't give out personal information on the phone,

through the mail, or on the Internet unless you've

initiated the contact or are sure you know who you'redealing with.

Be wary of filling out surveys, entering contests, etc.

Many marketing services contract with state prisons to

use inmate labor to process these forms. Some inmates

are employed as telemarketers



Protect your mailProtect your mail

Deposit your outgoing mail in post office

collection boxes or at your local post office, rather

than in an unsecured mailboxWhenever possible, deposit outgoing mail before

the last pickup of the day, not where it will be left

in the collection box over a weekend or holiday



Protect your trashProtect your trash

Shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications,

insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank

statements, expired charge cards that you're discarding,and credit offers you get in the mail.

Basically, shred anything that you wouldn’t want a

criminal to have.



Protect your trashProtect your trash

To opt out of receiving offers of credit in the mail,

call: 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688). The

three nationwide consumer reporting companiesuse the same toll-free number to let consumers

choose not to receive credit offers based on their

lists. Note: You will be asked to provide your

SSN which the consumer reporting companiesneed to match you with your file.



Protect your SSNProtect your SSN

Don't carry your Social Security card; leave it in a

secure place.

Give your SSN only when absolutely necessary,and ask to use other types of identifiers. If your

state uses your SSN as your driver's license

number, ask to substitute another number. Do the

same if your health insurance company uses your SSN as your policy number.



Maintain vigilanceMaintain vigilance

Carry only the identification information and the

credit and debit cards that you'll actually need

when you go out.Be cautious when responding to promotions.

Identity thieves may create phony promotional

offers to get you to give them your personal

information.



Maintain vigilanceMaintain vigilance

Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place at work; do

the same with copies of administrative forms that have

your sensitive personal informationWhen ordering new checks, pick them up from the bank

instead of having them mailed to your home mailbox

Recently, cell phone numbers were released totelemarketers. To opt out of receiving these calls, dial 1-

888-382-1222 from the cell phone you want blocked.

This will take your number off for 5 years.



Scams:Scams:

PhishingPhishingThe act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an

established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the

user into surrendering private information that will be usedfor identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web

site where they are asked to update personal information,

such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank

account numbers, that the legitimate organization alreadyhas. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to

steal the user’s information.



Phishing emails will have you click on a link that redirects youto their website.



Here is an example of another link on a phishing email.



And another



VhishingVhishingSimilar to “Phishing” except it uses both email and the

telephone

How Vhishing works ? First, you get an email message saying the

security of your bank account is compromised and you have to dial a 1-

800 number to verify the account information.

Once you fall in the trap and dial the number mentioned in the e-mail,

you are asked, using automated messages, to type your 16-digit card

number. The call can then be used to harvest additional details such as

security PIN, expiry date, date of birth, bank account number, etc.

Please advise clients not to call the 1-800 number listed in the email.

Clients should always call the number listed in the back of their card or

the number listed on the legitimate Citicards site.



ATM ScamATM Scam



Nigerian ScamsNigerian Scams



Notice the grammar and spelling errors. Also, notice the handwritten name at the

top. This is done so that Mass-Producing the letter is quicker.



This is the check you get in the mail with the letter. If they

are going to send you the money to pay for your

“Processing Fee” why not just send you your winnings?



The Western Union “Nigerian”The Western Union “Nigerian”

ScamScam First off, you receive a letter in the mail claiming, you

have won a prize via Western Union All you have to do to claim your prize is send in a small

“Processing Fee” You call the phone number given and speak to a

Western Union “Detective” (The phone number usually

shows up as a local call due to call spoofing) The “Detective” asks you to send in the small fee to an

address in Jamaica



When this scam came out I googled it and this is what I got.



Western Union ScamWestern Union Scam Things to watch out for with Scams

Money being sent from somewhere outside the U.S.

Call coming from a local number (Spoofed number)Caller has a heavy accent

One thing is always a dead giveaway

Scammers WILL ALWAYS ask you to send

them money before you get anything……



Western Union ScamWestern Union Scam

ContinuedContinued Caller was only asking for $160.00 dollars

Per victim, this amount is very little

Let’s say, that these scammers call 100 people a day

and only 20 fall for the scam (Low guess)

That’s 600 victims a month

600 X $160.00 = $96,000 dollars a month

What other jobs pay $1,152,000 a year? Where do I

sign up?



Craigslist and KSL “Nigerian”Craigslist and KSL “Nigerian”

ScamScamYou list an item for sale on Craigslist. The asking price

is $500.00 dollars

You get an email from a “Buyer”Tanx for your prompt response. I am interested in purchasing your items.

Please provide your name and address for payment. I am paying by Cashier

check. You should receive payment this week. As per pick-up, I will make

arrangement with the manager of my shipping.moving company to come

forpick-up after payment has been received by you. I would appreciate if you

take the posting off craigslist today and consider it sold to me. Do have a nice

time….

This is what you get in the mail



If you question the buyer about the check here’s what

you get

Sorry for getting back o you late. I and my husband had a little

misunderstanding immediately I read your mail. I was waiting for him to get

back so that I can know what is really wrong and why you havnt gotten the

payment yet. Well Micheal did swear with his life that he send out payment to

you via regular mail and that he even made a mistake with the amount he

wrote on it. I’m very sure you will get our payment any times fromnow….Kindly be on the look out for it.is there any Grocery store around you.

Let me know when you read this. Happy weekends to you.

You question the check again and now you get

Don’t tell me you didn’t get my previous e-mail huh? This is a error that wasmade by my husband and he is laying down there at the hospital. Well what

you got is our payment for the items and you need to take it to the grocery

store they will help you to cash it out. You can then deduct the amount and

send the rest to the details I send to you via Western union and Moneygram.

To John Smith, Keyport, NJ.

Th d th t i l th t



The person you send the money to is a real person that

believes he has a legitimate job and has W-2’s and

email applications to prove it. They too have been

victimized

They believed that they were working from home

acting as a “Distributor” for a company overseas.

When he gets the money from “You”, he takes his cutand ships the rest off overseas to his “Boss”

Things to watch for Getting over paid for an item

Only correspondence with buyer is through email

Buyer wanting to ship an inexpensive item across the country

Buyer wanting money sent back to them



Reverse Craigslist and KSLReverse Craigslist and KSL

“Nigerian” Scam“Nigerian” ScamWorks just like the previous scam, only in reverse

This time, you’re trying to buy something off of KSL or Craigslist



Notice how cheap this is and when you call the number listed, it’s

disconnected so you email that seller and this is what you get.

Hello,My name is James Noorlander and I'm glad to see your interest in purchasing my RZR.



y g y p g y

What can I tell you in a few words is that I am an individual seller, I am not a dealer

and this is my first type of posting on KSL. The vehicle is personal property and I am

going to sell it because I was promoted to my work and I had to move with my family

in another location (we must do sacrifices all the time) and now I live in Quebec

Canada. In conclusion, I don't need it anymore and I decided, after a discussion with

my wife (sometimes is very difficult to be persuasive, you know what I mean) to sell

my rzr. The vehicle is in mint condition and it has only 235 miles on it. If we reach an

agreement, I am willing to take care of the shipping to your address. Shipping will take

7 days maximum. I have managed to obtain a low cost shipping, only $400 and I

presume it would be fair to split the shipping cost so, we'll pay $200 each. Meaning,that the rzr and the shipping/handling will cost you $5,800. I think this is reasonable.

As I know that my current situation is pretty special I want the deal closed only

through eBay's Vehicle Protection Program in order for you to be 100% protected.

You will make the payment to eBay and they will hold the money until you receive the

rzr. Only after you receive it and you inspect it(for 5 days from the moment you

receive it) eBay will release the payment to me, in this way we are both protected.Please get back to me asap if you decide to buy, and include in your e-mail your full

name and address where you want it shipped so I can start the deal with eBay. You

will receive all the transaction payment and shipping details from them.

Best Regards,

James

*This is an actual email from a scammer.



Email “Takeover”Email “Takeover” You get an email from your email provider wanting

you to update your information by clicking on a link.

You click on the link and update your email by providing your email address and password.

Guess what happens next



Everyone in your address book gets thisHello,

How are you doing?hope all is well with you and family,i am sorry that i didn't inform youabout my traveling to England for a program called Empowering youth to fight

racism,Hiv/Aids,and lack of education.

I need a favor from you as soon as you receive this e-mail, I misplaced my wallet on my

way to the hotel where my money,and other valuable things were kept. Urgently assist me

with a soft loan of $2,500 to sort-out my hotel bills and get myself back home.

I will appreciate whatever you can afford and i'll pay you back as soon as i return,Kindly

let me know if you can be of help? so that i can send you the details to use when sending

the money through western union.

Best Regards,Katie

And Yes, people fall for this on a daily basis



SMS Scam (Text)SMS Scam (Text)Thousands of people have gotten a text message warning of unusual activity on their U.S. Bank

accounts, but U.S. Bank said the message is a scam to try and get people to give up personal

information. Erich Schroeder called WCCO-TV after he got a text message on his work cell phone.

Schroeder said, "It says you need to verify your U.S. Bank account unusual activity call at 866-XXX-

XXXX.“ For Schroeder the tip off was easy, he doesn't have a U.S. Bank account. "I'm figuring

there's a lot of people who would have a U.S. Bank account and probably would go through and

potentially get into trouble," said Schroeder. When WCCO called the number the text message said tocall, a recording asked for personal information.

The recording says: "Welcome to U.S. Bank. Please follow the next step to verify your account. You

will be asked to provide three additional pieces of information which are linked to your account,

including your credit card number.“ U.S. Bank said as far as it knows, no one has lost any money in

the scam. The bank has turned over the information to the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission has

shut down at least one of the phone numbers.

U.S. Bank issued a statement saying, "We would never ask a customer to place their personalinformation in jeopardy by contacting them and asking them to divulge it over the phone, via email or

text messages.“ Scams via text message are becoming so widespread there is actually a new name for

it -- "smishing" -- a takeoff of SMS text messaging and phishing. Smishing has another form that is

also dangerous. You get a text message that urges you to download an item on your phone and it turns

out to be a virus. If you do get a text message like this experts say don't respond, but call your bank's

customers service number.



Grandma and Grandpa ScamGrandma and Grandpa Scam

You get a phone call from your “Grandson”

The caller knows the name of your grandson and

sometimes even sounds like him (Info can be bought) He claims to have been arrested in Canada and he needs

money to get out of jail and to fix his car

He asks you to send money via Western Union to

Canada

If you send money to him in Canada, there is little to

no chance of getting your money back or of someone

being arrested



Jury Duty ScamJury Duty Scam

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a

summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and

date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give

out any of this information and bingo, your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and

Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over

the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the

court system. The FBI and the Federal Court System have issued nationwide alerts on

their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

Snopes site: says this is real fraud. http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.aspFBI site: warns about the fraud.

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm

http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp



http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp



What To Do If You Become aWhat To Do If You Become a

VictimVictim Cancel all of your credit/debit cards and alert your

bank if checks are missing

Contact your local police department

The investigating agency can be any agency that

falls into the following:

1. Where you live2. Where the crime occurred (Ie. Where checks or

credit cards were used)3. Where your information was taken from



What To Do If You Become aWhat To Do If You Become a

Victim ContinuedVictim Continued Put a fraud alert on your credit by calling the three

credit reporting agencies

Experian 888-397-3742

Equifax 800-525-6285Trans Union 800-680-7289

Make a toll-free call to the Federal Trade Commission’s

Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT

Start a report with the Utah Attorney General’s Office

(IRIS) Identity Theft Reporting Information System at

http://www.idtheft.utah.gov



Following these guidelines will help to minimizeFollowing these guidelines will help to minimize

potential losses from ID theft. potential losses from ID theft.

ConclusionConclusion

Remember, nothing is full proof Remember, nothing is full proof IIf you don’t think it’s worth it, think about all you willf you don’t think it’s worth it, think about all you will

have to do to clean up your credit after you’ve beenhave to do to clean up your credit after you’ve been

victimized by an ID thief victimized by an ID thief



Contact InformationContact Information

Sergeant Martinez

Orem Department of Public Safety

Support Services Division

[email protected]

(801) 229-7080

Follow the Orem Department of Public Safety at

www.oremdps.blogspot.com

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