Protect yourself from identity-theft nightmare

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, December 4, 2002

It’s as bad as a thief breaking into your home and stealing your personal belongings. Except this new kind of crime puts the criminal smack in the middle of your finances and personal documents, and gives him the ability to walk away with your very identity.

Some officials estimate that one person per minute is a victim of identity theft. Locally, police last month arrested a man suspected of helping steal the identities of at least 185 people between King and Whatcom counties. And there are more arrests to come, they say.

On a much larger scale, federal authorities recently charged three men with stealing information about more than 30,000 people — the biggest U.S. identity theft case in history.

It’s frustrating that thousands of people and businesses across this country are victimized every day. But if we’re going to look for a silver lining, it’s that the crime is now so mainstream it’s getting plenty of law enforcement and media attention.

It’s not that there weren’t victims before. This has been going on for years. Stolen credit cards and boxes of blank checks and other personal information found in wallets and mailboxes have long wreaked havoc on people who wound up spending plenty of money and time trying to sort things out and clear their name and financial records.

Fortunately, local and federal authorities appear to be taking the crime seriously. In July 2001 Washington passed an identity theft law touted as one of the toughest in the nation. It classifies identity theft as either a Class B or Class C felony, depending on the amount of the victim’s loss and it gives victims clear, tangible ways to go about restoring their credit without further penalties.

Visit the state attorney general’s Web site to see how seriously the issue is regarded. You’ll find tips on everything from how to keep from becoming a victim to clear information on what to do if your identity is stolen. And if that’s not enough for you, there are referrals to other sites and phone numbers so you can talk with a live person.

U.S. Attorney James Comey called the national case "every American’s worst financial nightmare multiplied tens of thousands of times."

One of the three men, who worked for a Long Island software company and allegedly used his position to sell passwords and codes for downloading consumer credit reports, could face a nightmare of his own — up to 30 years in prison and millions in fines. Of course, he probably won’t ever be able to pay off this "financial nightmare." But 30 years in prison doesn’t seem too long for hurting 30,000 people by destroying their credit and wiping out their bank accounts.

The question is, will the threat of prison and substantial fines deter other would-be identity thieves? The answer probably is no. While local and federal authorities should continue to take this crime seriously and prosecute offenders, it’s unrealistic to think that will stop all potential criminals.

The best approach is for people to learn about the issue before they have to. Most of us lock our doors and windows, wear our seatbelts and walk in well-lit areas at night. We take numerous precautions every day. Now we have to add identity theft to the list.

Identity theft is a common crime. Learning how to prevent it should be just as common.