6A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY,MAY8,2002
SWIPING YOUR IDENTITY
IDENTITY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Renault should know. She worked six years to clear her credit after finding out in 1994 that someone was using her maiden name and social security number.
"I was mad and I didn't want to have to sit down and crank out some letters." Renault said. "I think the anger kept me going."
Experts say between 500,000 and 750,000 people nationwide were victims of identity theft in 2001. But the number of identity thefts could be as high as a million, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization based in San Diego, Calif.
"No one has confirmed stats because no one is keeping track of them," said Linda Foley, executive director of the center. "We only have best guesses that it is increasing 20 to 50 percent yearly, depending on the jurisdiction. We do know that the crimes are getting more complex and that more and more time is required by victims to restore records."
Foley, herself a victim of identity theft, established the center in 1999 because of the growing need for victim assistance and rising number of identity thefts.
Part of the increase in identity theft is connected to the increasing use of credit technology, said Sgt. Mike Patrick of the Lawrence Police Department.
"With the advent of electronic purchases, I think we'll see an increase of identity thefts, especially where a picture ID is not required," Patrick said.
Identity thieves use a variety of tactics.
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU:
"One of the most intrusive and most difficult to know is theft of mail," Pattrick said. In the case of a missing purse, etc., victims know immediately that their credit cards and identity are at risk. But if mail has been stolen, victims don't know anything is missing until the bills from fraudulent cards roll in, he said.
At least one identity theft occurs every minute
On average, victims spend 175 hours and $308 in out-of-pocket expenses to clear their credit.
Some Kansas legislators tried to pass a law this year to offer protection from identity theft.
The number of identity thefts increased 30 to 40 percent per year for the past several years.
Credit card companies lose about $1 billion a year nationally because of credit card fraud.
Sources: www.idtheftcenter.org and www.cardweb.com.
Sen. Barbara Allen, who was a victim of bank fraud last year, sponsored a bill that would have required drivers' licenses to have a thumbprint and facial recognition technology.
Allen said the bill would make it more difficult to acquire a false ID and to steal someone's identity.
"From all I researched, Kansas is one of the easiest states in the country to obtain a false identification," she said.
Kansas drivers' licenses already have color pictures, but Allen's bill would have required software that would compare photos and thumbprints from issued cards with new application photos and thumbprints. A person would be able to get only one ID with that face, name and thumbprint.
The bill passed in the Senate, but it was amended to require only facial recognition and then added to another bill before going to the House where it failed.
Allen said she would continue trying to get the bill passed on its own and in its original version.
Butsheknowshersuccess will be a long shot, because of concern over protecting people's privacy.
"Facial recognition is not as effective as a thumbprint, but we already take color photos," she said. "Because of that, it's probably more acceptable to people."
Other Kansas legislators such as Sen. Edward Pugh are wary of
Pugh said such laws would put the responsibility to stop identity thefts on the wrong people.
using any type of identifier.
"What we need to do is put the responsibility on creditors," Pugh said. "They don't want to go to the trouble of thoroughly researching. If creditors give credit to the wrong people, they haven't done their part."
He added, "That's the creditors' abuse. Consumers are going to have to stand up and say we're not going to take this."
Rod Griffin, manager of public relations for Experian credit reporting agency and 1991 KU graduate, said Experian had procedures to help credit card distributors verify addresses, names, social security numbers and other information of credit card applicants.
It's difficult for an identity thief to match all the information he said.
"What typically happens in identity theft is they'll alter an address so the victim doesn't get the bills, which would signal that identity theft is occurring," Griffin said.
If discrepancies occur, they may signal fraud, he said, which would lead to an investigation.
Credit agencies take identity theft precautions very seriously, said Mark Humphries, chief operating officer for KU Credit Union. But he would not specify what procedures the union took, because he did not want to give identity thieves a better chance at success.
He did say an important factor at the credit union was having a relationship with customers before offering a credit card.
"You've got to have an account to get a card," Humphries said. "We go to great lengths to protect member information and we have an extremely strict privacy policy. It's a rarity for us to have an identity theft."
Humphries said if a member's identity were stolen, it was usually because a credit card was stolen.
Hafner, the KU student with $7,000 worth of bad credit, said stores that offer charge cards should take more precautions to
"Stores need to be more cautious and look for this, and actually ask for a photo ID every single time someone writes a check or opens a charge or check account," she said.
But fraudulent IDs are hard to catch, said Craig Alexander, cashier team leader for SuperTarget, 3201 Iowa St.
protect shoppers from identity theft.
"Usually there's really no way to tell unless a prompt comes up to check the ID," he said. "And we tell our cashiers to check signatures. Other than that, I don't know any other way to see fraud."
Even if an ID didn't match an application or if a prompt appeared, a store couldn't do much.
"Unfortunately, we can't keep an ID card," Alexander said. "We just make sure we get the person on camera, and if we remember the name, we can report it. We are supposed to call the police if there's anything suspicious. Then they decide what's appropriate action."
For Hafner and Renault, appropriate action would be seeing the thieves tracked down and caught. But that's not happening either.
Catching identity thieves is almost as difficult as clearing one's credit, said Lt. John Sidwell of the Topeka Police Department.
"There isn't a whole bunch of evidence to work with," he said. "Our clearance rate is 10, maybe 15 percent."
Renault, who spent six years working to clear her credit, called her efforts a lot of hassle and worry.
She wrote the three major credit agencies, Equifax, Experian and Trans Union; put a fraud alert on her file with each credit agency; wrote individual creditors; called creditors, police in Lawrence and Massachusetts where her identity was used, collection agencies and companies where the thief had worked; spent time researching on the computer and going to the post office; wrote letters to the IRS; and filed a notice with Social
Security
Renault thought her credit was clear in 2000, but she received a letter from a collection agency last year for a 1996 bill.
She decided to contact U.S.
Sen. Pat Roberts, U.S. Sen. Sam
Brownback and U.S. Rep. Dennis
Moore.
Moore contacted the Kansas Attorney General's office and Roberts contacted the social security office, she said.
Security.
"They really got more results than I expected," she said.
She still has to keep track of her credit.
Renault told her story in a press conference called by Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall in February 2002 to warn consumers about identity theft.
"I don't think she's still using it," Renault said. "It's just eerie, thinking she's out there somewhere, waiting to use my name again. And thinking they apparently have no scruples — that's maddening."
Renault said every victim felt the same rage toward identity thieves.
"I'd like to see this person behind bars," she said.
Hafner is still dealing with emotions caused by the invasion of her privacy.
"You kind of have an unsettled feeling, knowing that in my case, not only one but two people are out there using all my information, basically living as me," she said.
Like Renault, Hafner has worked hard to clear her credit. She took two weeks off work to file reports with Lawrence and Topeka police departments, visit each store and call fraud units, even for cards that were opened but not used.
"You have to do it all yourself basically," Hafner said. "Any free time I have is calling these credit people. It's really time consuming."
Only a few months have passed since Hafner's identity was taken, but her life may be altered already.
"I'm applying to grad school next year. If I don't get financial assistance from my parents or from financial aid, there's no way I could go out right now and get a
TO CHECK YOUR CREDIT
What to do? Order a copy of your credit report from the three major credit companies.
Equifax; Call (800) 658-1111 or write P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241.
Experian: Call (888) EXPERIAN or write P.O. Box 2104, Allen TX 75013.
Trans Union: Call (800) 898-4213 or write P.O. Box 390, Springfield, PA 19064.
How much it costs: $6 in most states.
IF YOUR IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN:
1. Alert the credit companies.
2. Contact creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
3. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.
4. Contact the local district attorney's office.
Source:
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
loan," Hafner said. "And it's because of this. So what am I left to do?"
Renault said victims could be those who least expected it.
"I'm almost tempted to think people with clean records are more subject," she said. "You just think everything's OK."
For better protection, Renault said people should have at least one credit card.
"It's almost better to have one so you have a history," Renault said. "I know it sounds kind of odd, Just get a credit card and pay it off. Keep track of it, even though it's a pain."
Whether you have a credit card or not, Hafner said you should check your credit every six months to avoid a false sense of security.
"I was always like, oh, it will never happen to me," Hafner said. "Well, it did."
Contact Keeese at kreeese@kansan.com. This story was edited by Joanna Miller.
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Thank you for choosing KU Recreation Services! See you next semester!
Congratulations to our Intramural Champions for Spring 2002!
For Softball: Men's Greek- Phi Delt #1, Men's Open-Keggers, Women's-Chi Omega, CoRec-The Blues For Ultimate: Men's-Beta A-2
For Tennis Doubles: Women's-Grimwood/Charlson, Men's-Kapmeyer/Stauffer, Corec-Charlson/Biggs
For Tennis Doubles: Women's-Grimwood/Charlson, Men's-Kapmeyer/Stauffer, Corec-Charlson/Biggs For Wrestling: 125/133- John McConnell, 141- Steve Kuder,149- Chris Morton, 157- Matt Grise, 165-Logan Corbin, 174- Brad Nuckuls, 184-Aaron Shields, 197- Casey Dannenberg, Heavyweight- Matt Erb, Team Champion- Pharm Boys For Raquetball Doubles: Men's- Ferraro/Williams
For Basketball: Men's Open- Rainmakers, Men's Greek- Delta Chi T-1. Women's Open- Dirty Birds, Women's Greek- Chi Omega 2, Men's Residence Hall- Mac 9, CoRec- RHXR 1
For Final Four Picks: Champion- Chad Lafferty
For Sand Volleyball: Men's Greek- DU #2, Men's Open/Residence Hall- G.P., Women's Open/Greek- Untouchables, CoRecGrand Balls Bengt
Also Congratulations to 3 on 3 Soccer and Golf Intramural Champions to be announced later!
208 Robinson, 864-3546, www.ku.edu/~recserv/
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