Leslie Craigmiles
Protect your personal information
Postmaster
When actor Will Smith played Agent J in the mov,e “Men in Black,” that was showbiz; but when convicted felon Carlos Lomax impersonated actor Will Smith, that was identity theft.
Will Smith never knew his identity had been stolen until he attempted to purchase a new ome and found his credit had been compromised. Postal inspectors and the Financial Crisis Task Force of Southwestern Pennsylvania arrested Lomax for identity theft. Lomax was sentenced to serve 37 months in jail and pay $64,000 in restitution.
“Identity theft is the number-one consumer fraud in the nation,” Chief Postal Inspector Lee R. Heath said. “Everyone needs to make sure that when giving financial and personal information to someone, they know how it will be used.”
Identity theft can do more than ruin a person’s credit. It can cause more serious damage.
“Identity theft hurts a victim in two ways,” said Francia G. Smith, vice president and consumer advocate for the U.S. Postal Service. “At first you have to deal with the obvious financial issues. The second, hidden, hidden factor is the emotional one, having to deal with privacy and practical issues such as credit history that isn’t yours but that you have have to reconstruct in order to clear your own accounts. The problem doesn’t go away with a few phone calls. It can stick with you for a long time. That’s why it’s such a serious issue.”
Postal inspectors recommend that persons protect themselves from identity theft by following these guidelines:
–Report to the appropriate financial insitutions signs of unusual activity in checking, savings and credit card accounts.
–Contact Postal inspectors if your name is being used illegally to obtain credit cards or merchandise by mail.
–Do not record credit card, driver’s license, Social Security or other personal account numbers on your checks.
–Review monthly credit card and financial statements for unauthorized activitities.
–Never leave outgoing mail on your doorstep or in an unsecured mail receptacle.
–Promptly remove your mail from your mailbox.
–Never give personal information, date of birth, Social Security number or mother’s maiden name, over the telephone or to someone you’re unsure about.
–Shred unwanted, pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts and other financial information.
–Order your credit report once a year from the three credit bureaus (Equifax, (800) 977-2493; Experian Information Solutions, (888) 397-3742; and TransUnion, (800) 916-8800) to check for fraudulent activity or discrepencies.
“Victims run the gamut of society,” Chief Inspector Heath said. “They’re wealthy. They’re poor. They’re old. They’re young. Anyone can become a victim. Protect your personal information.”
For more information, persons may visit the Postal Inspection Service website, http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors.