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We join with those who mourn the loss of life,  the injuries, and the disruption of lives caused  by the attacks  against Washington,  DC, and  New York, N.Y.    All those effected -- the brave people who helped in rescue efforts, those involved in America's response to terror and in the war with Iraq-- are in our thoughts and prayers.

President Clinton recently signed a new law which will help protect people against one of the biggest and fastest-growing financial frauds in America—identify theft.  The Identity Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 may have come to late to protect victims like attorney Mari Frank of Laguna Niguel, CA, and Mark Eckes of Washington state, but it will help new victims.

Eckes’ identify was stolen by an Iranian national who is the subject of an international manhunt because he is suspected of infecting over 100 women with the AIDS virus. 

Frank was victimized when an impostor bought over $50K in clothing and luxury items, plus a Mustang convertible, and charged it to Frank’s tab. 

Police have always pursued criminals hiding under an alias.  However, they often refused to even take reports from people whose identities were stolen for monetary gain.  A large part of the problem had been that banks and credit card companies wrote off losses and declined to press charges.  Without their complaints as victims, many police departments refused to open investigations.  This left the people’s whose identities were stolen with badly damaged credit ratings.  They were unable to buy cars or homes.  They often felt helpless and were enraged at having been violated.

The new law recognizes these people as victims, gives them the right to file police reports, and to recoup damages.  It makes the crime of posing as another person for economic gain a federal felony punishable with prison sentences from three to 25 years.

Government statistics show that identify fraud cost Americans $745M in 1997, up from only $450M the year before.  The Social Security Administration claims that improper use of Social Security numbers has tripled in recent years.  Credit reporting firms say that fraud inquiries have soared to 5000,000 this year, up from only 12,000 in 1992.  Of course these numbers are probably low, since it may be years before someone realizes they have been victimized.

Here are some tips to help avoid identify theft, or to respond if you are a victim:
     *   Shred or burn papers with credit card or bank account numbers, social security card number, etc.  If you don’t have a shredder at home, use one at work.
     *   Don’t put your SSAN on any document unless it is legally required.  Don’t have it printed on all your checks!
     *   Check your credit report once or twice a year to make sure it doesn’t have accounts you don’t know about.
     *   If you have been victimized, file a police report.  You will need it when disputing charges with various creditors.
     *   Write letters to have erroneous and fraudulent items removed from your credit report.

Examine your credit report annually to make sure it contains only appropriate information.  The major credit reporting agencies are:
     *   Equifax, P.O. Box 105873, Atlanta, GA 30348-5873, Telephone: 1-800-997-2493
     *   Experian Information Solutions (Formerly TRW), P.O. Box 949, Allen, TX 75013-0949, Telephone: 1-800-397-3742
     *   TransUnion, P.O. Box 390, Springfield, PA 19064-0390, Telephone: 1-800-916-8800

There are several sites on the World Wide Web with additional information and tips.  Some include sample letters you can use if you are a victim of identity theft.  These sites include:
     *   National Fraud Information Center at http://www.nfic.inter.net
     *   Identity Theft Prevention & Survival at http://www.identitytheft.org
     *   Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at http://www.privacyrights.org
     *   California Public Interest Research Group at http://www.prig.org/calprig/consumer/privacy

[Webmaster's note:  This article was originally written in November 1998 for the VSAC News and NCMS Channel Island News.  Information on credit reporting agencies updated December 2000]