| Consumers warned about holiday ID theft
Attorney General Bill McCollum today advised Floridians to be careful when using credit and debit cards to pay for gifts during this holiday shopping season in order to avoid becoming victims of identity theft. He also cautioned consumers about a "phishing" scam that has surfaced recently, threatening to expose consumers� personal financial information. McCollum noted that occurrences of identity theft often increase during the holiday season and encouraged residents and guests to be extra vigilant to protect themselves. "Identity theft can be devastating any time it occurs, but it is especially destructive during the holiday season when it could threaten personal financial information, travel plans and other seasonal aspects of our consumers� personal lives," said McCollum.
Scio Library hosts program on identity theft
Melanie Foster will talk at the Scio Public Library at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 on the crime of identity theft - the wrongful acquisition and use of credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, medical information, and other personal data.Foster is a Eugene insurance agent and a graduate of the University of Arizona. She will explain how to prevent identity theft, whom to call when you find out that your personal data has been stolen, and how to undo the damage afterward. Identity theft involves more money worldwide than the trade in illegal drugs. Oregonians are particularly susceptible to this crime: Oregon ranks seventh for the number of victims among all states and countries in the world. Sponsored by the Friends of the Scio Public Library, the program is free of charge, although donations to the Library Building Fund will be welcomed. The Scio Public Library is at 38957 North First Avenue, adjacent to Scio City Hall.
Keep Grinch at Bay During Holidays With 12 ID Theft Tips of Christmas
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, and with the growing threat of ID theft looming, consumers may not know their identities could also be for sale. The intersection of commerce and cyber-crime could be a bumpy road for shoppers over the next month, so don't let the ID theft grinches steal your holiday cheer this year. "Wherever there's information about a person, whether it's retained by a retailer, bank, credit bureau or database, there's someone out there who has the ability to steal it," said Dan Clements, spokesman for ID Secure, a sophisticated new tool that uses leading-edge public records, Social Security number and credit card monitoring technology to fight identity theft. "The more difficult you make it for someone to rip you off, the less chance you have of becoming a victim of identity theft.
Scam alert: That's not the IRS
If you've been getting unsolicited e-mail from the Internal Revenue Service, ignore it: You've been the target of another Internet scam.The bogus e-mail claims that you are owed a refund and sends you to a Web site at which you are asked to provide your Social Security number and credit card information.Just remember this: The IRS doesn't send out unsolicited e-mail messages.Mark Hanson, IRS spokesman for the Carolinas, said the scam has the potential to confuse people, because it's modeled on a refund program that the agency conducts each year, the undeliverable refund list.The best way to avoid becoming an identity-theft victim is to press "delete," Hanson said."Don't let the idea of free money bait you into the scam," he said.Hanson said the legitimate IRS undeliverable refund list will be posted on the agency's Web page this month.
Yuma lawmaker victim of ID theft
State Sen. Amanda Aguirre, who has made identity theft prevention one of her legislative priorities, says she became a victim of the crime earlier this month when a credit card of hers was used fraudulently. "My immediate thought was this couldn't be happening," Aguirre said. "It's a reality check that anyone can be a victim of identity theft." Aguirre said she received a call earlier this month on her cell phone from her credit card company, which wanted to confirm whether she had bought some shoes. The following day, she got another call asking whether she had bought what appeared to be clothing. Both transactions, which were made online, were done using her credit number. In total, the purchases amounted to more than $3,000. The purchases were ordered from stores in North Carolina and California and supposed to be mailed to addresses in those states.
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