By: Austin Crafton
According to
the Bureau of Justice, over 15 million people a year fall victim to
identity-theft related crimes. But unlike most other forms of crime, identity
theft or “White Collar” crimes can be fairly easily avoided. I went to speak
with Sergeant Tim Thomas of The Walker County Sheriff’s Office to learn about
how to safeguard your most vital information.
Sergeant
Thomas has been handling Identity Theft cases for almost 20 years now and of
course the volume is only getting higher. He had just interviewed a 78 year-old
man that had been hit by criminals posing to be working with Microsoft for $250
when our interview started. Cases similar to this one are rampant, just change
out Microsoft for another corporation or a government agency like Social
Security or The IRS. “Seldom if ever will you be contacted over the phone by
these agencies or companies. The government almost always deals in official
mail correspondence,” Thomas maintains.
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| Just a few of the identity shields on the market. |
Among the
easiest ways to further protecting yourself would be buying a paper shredder.
Everything from daily household bills to credit card offers should be
destroyed. Thomas insists, “Do not just throw those junk credit card offers in
the trash. Anyone could fish one out of the trash, mail it in and have a credit
card in your name in no time.”
The newest
and most popular safeguard to identity theft would have to be the shield
services like Lifelock. I found several of these services to run in the $10-$15
range that feature safety guarantees along with 24/7 customer service.
“No one is
totally safe, no one is immune, but these crimes can be prevented,” Thomas
says. For further reading from the FBI
on Identity Theft – Click Here
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