Security

How Identity Thieves Get Your Info

With a little work, identity thieves can take over your life

By MICHAEL CUSENZA

The perpetrators, their methods and scams are as ruthless and cunning as they are prolific. And they are everywhere.

Their target: your name, personal information and everything you’ve worked for.

Your only recourse: be extremely careful. But even the most diligent of souls can become victims.

Identity theft is a crime that preys on the unsuspecting and profits off vulnerability. According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year, and that identity theft losses to businesses and financial institutions can reach the tens of billions of dollars each year.

Fake government ID documents seized in a recent investigation in Jackson Heights.

How It’s Done

Identity theft can take on many forms and utilize a variety of media. The FTC detailed six prevalent methods – from the digital age to age-old – perps use to steal your information: dumpster diving, skimming, phishing, changing your address, stealing and pretexting. These methods can present themselves through hundreds of schemes. And after your identity is stolen, thieves use it to commit various types of fraud.

Dumpster diving thieves roll up their sleeves and dig through trash for anything that may contain your personal information: bills, receipts, etc.

Skimming calls for a slightly more advanced approach where thieves capture your credit or debit card info in a data storage device and use it later at an ATM or charge machine.

“Phishing” involves Internet scams that send spam to your e-mail or pop-up messages that try to get potential victims to reveal information by warning them that there is a problem with their bank or store account.

“What we see a lot of today is through the Internet and phishing scams,” FBI spokesman Paul Bresson explained. “They ask you to update your information or in some cases they may send you an e-mail saying, ‘We have reason to believe that your account is being targeted by identity thieves.’ There are all kinds of different e-mail scams that bad guys look into to get you to surrender some of your personal information so that they can sell that or use it to purchase merchandise. It takes on many forms.”

A source in the Queens DA’s office said phishing has always been popular among thieves, but the practice has changed a bit in recent years.

 

“Where they used to send out these mass-mailings hoping to get people, they now specifically target individuals that they know are susceptible,” the source said. “They’ll get a list of people that tend to be susceptible and kind of hone in on them.”

Thieves also may rely on changing your address to divert your billing statements and other personal mail to a different location. This poses two problems for victims: thieves may run up charges on your account, and since you’re no longer receiving the bills you may become delinquent in payments and this can affect your credit history.

In today’s modern age, where seemingly every facet of life revolves around technology, it’s easy to overlook physical stealing as a method for thieves to obtain your personal information. Pick-pockets and purse-snatchers are still prevalent, and some perps target mailboxes for credit card statements, pre-approved credit card offers, new checks or tax information.

Finally, pretexting is the practice of getting your personal information under false pretenses. The FTC said this usually involves a scam where crooks will call unsuspecting victims claiming to be a research firm and ask for their name, date of birth, address and Social Security number. The crooks will then get the victim’s personal information from its financial institution after impersonating the victim on the phone. They will in turn sell that information to people who may use it to get credit in the victim’s name, to steal assets, or to investigate or sue the victim.

A Growing Problem

The source at the DA’s office noted a marked increase in identity theft-related cases in Queens during the past three years. Many cases, the source said, involved what is commonly known as “inside jobs.”

Some examples: an employee in the mortgage department at JP MorganChase stealing mortgage applications; an employee at PBS public television stealing donor information; employees stealing car rental agreements; employees at doctor’s offices stealing patient information.

“Sometimes it’s a legitimate place of business that you would normally not even think twice about giving your information to, because that’s what they do,” the source said. “And you’ve got one corrupt employee there that’s going to photocopy everything and take it.”

Fixing The Problem

According to the FTC, once you’ve realized that your personal information has been stolen, there are several steps you need to take, including: place a fraud alert on your credit report, and review your credit report; close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently; file a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place; file a complaint with the FTC.

How can you minimize the risk of your identity being stolen? The FTC said to manage your personal information very carefully. Place comprehensive passwords on all things that may contain sensitive information; discard trash thoroughly; don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or are sure you know who you’re dealing with.

For more resources on identity theft visit consumer.gov/idtheft or call (877)-FTC-HELP.

 

 

Caution On Utilities And Deliveries

Brown trucks and uniforms are familiar signs of UPS.

By MICHAEL CUSENZA

One only needs to pay attention to the federal murder trial of disgraced former FBI Agent Lindley DeVecchio to learn that some of the people you deal with every day could be wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Based on the testimony of a former mob associate of Greg “The Grim Reaper” Scarpa, it was decided by Scarpa and others that the mother of mob turncoat Joseph Ambrosino would be murdered as a message to her son that you should never sing to the feds.

According to published reports, Scarpa obtained the address of Ambrosino’s mother and allegedly planned to gain access into her home by sending in a hit man posing as a gas meter reader. But the murder never materialized.

This Sopranos-style scenario speaks to the vulnerability of home and business owners. Law enforcement officials can rattle off countless true tales of home invasions and other scams perpetrated by smooth-talking crooks in a familiar uniform – utilities, delivery companies, etc.

The message is clear: Be careful when you answer the door.

FedEx trucks are everywhere in New York City.

Show Me Your ID

We’ve all seen the uniforms, gadgets, trucks and packages. UPS, Verizon, KeySpan, Con Edison, DEP. They’re all over the City. But there also are certain things homeowners should look for when dealing with these workers, and steps they should take should they feel unsure about letting them into their home, accepting a package from them or giving them personal information.

“All of our employees carry a photo ID card, don’t open your door until you see it,” Con Ed spokesman Joe Petta said. “If you have any doubt, please call the number on your Con Edison bill to get verification or call the police at 911. In the colder weather, you’ll see meter readers wearing Con Edison jackets over their uniforms. But, you can ask to see their identification cards at any time.”

KeySpan has similar security guidelines for customers.

“The company reminds customers to check identification of anyone requesting to enter their homes or businesses,” KeySpan spokeswoman Karen Young said. “Every KeySpan employee carries an ID card with a KeySpan logo and color photo. If there is any doubt as to whether an individual is a KeySpan employee call KeySpan at (718) 643-4050 to confirm his or her identification.”

Verizon spokeswoman Heather Wilner detailed what its customers should be aware of when a technician knocks on the door or rings the buzzer.

“All Verizon employees carry a Verizon ID card,” Wilner said. “It’s a red card and it has a hologram on it. All of our technicians would be carrying an ID like that. Customers should also keep a look out for a Verizon truck with the Verizon logo nearby parked outside. And techs may have things like a Verizon helmet or tool belt. But most importantly, they do carry that Verizon ID card.”

 

Con Edison meter reader in full uniform.

Wilner also noted that if a customer has any concerns they can contact Verizon’s 24-hour repair line (718) 890-6611 or its 24-hour customer service line (718) 890-1550.

Special Delivery

UPS spokesman Dan McMacken said the first thing customers should look for is the signature big brown truck. According to McMacken, the 100-year-old parcel service corporation never delivers in Queens without a truck.

“The other thing that all of [our drivers] will have is a logoed uniform; so it’s not just a brown shirt, it will have our logo all over it,” McMacken said. “They will have a handheld computer that you sign for [packages] on. They will have an ID – all company employees have a company-provided ID and any customer can ask to see it. If anyone has any concerns they can certainly call UPS or the police.”

According to City Deptartment of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla, water inspectors present many identifying signs to home and business owners.

Usually a truck or car with the DEP logo will be nearby, and inspectors wear blue uniforms with a patch featuring the DEP logo on the left sleeve. Inspectors are required to affix their photo ID and badge number to a visible area of their uniform.

“The owners of the house, when an inspector rings the bell, they can ask for ID,” Padilla said. “They can ask the inspector for the phone number of the district office and double-check the badge, double-check the route and double-check the ID.”

Home and business owners can never be too careful. As the above ubiquitous companies with familiar logos have said, don’t be afraid to ask for ID and/or phone numbers. You need to be absolutely sure that the person who is trying to deliver a package, read a meter or fix a problem is who they appear to be.

 

 

Be Wary Of Unwanted Solicitors

Police arrive at the scene of a push-in robbery.

Unlikely as it may be, occasionally you may stop to answer the door when a solicitor calls. Sometimes that is a fine idea – everybody loves Girl Scout cookies, and you may occasionally wish to sign a petition or donate to a worthy charity.

But what happens when the person you have tried to help at your doorstep seems to want to take more from you than you are willing to offer, and pulls a gun or some other weapon on you.

“It’s a very complicated situation. There are no easy answers, and there is no sure way out,” said a Queens detective, who is also a member of the NYPD Hostage Negotiator Team.

“If he has a gun, do whatever he says. Upsetting him (or her) is not a wise decision,” the detective said. “He may decide to shoot to injure or kill you.”

The police negotiator said a hostage “has to decide for him or herself” how you feel the situation is going at the time, before you can make a decision to make a move.

“Professionals tell you, ‘comply,’” the detective said. “Very often that is the best thing to do. Let the professionals handle it if you are not sure.

“You are there – the negotiators are not,” the detective said. “If you see this guy shoot two other people and he says you are next, you have to do what you have to do.”

 

This Richmond Hill home was hit by thugs posing as solicitors.

There is no set pattern of behavior displayed by hostage-takers, police negotiators said. “Sometimes it helps to try to find out what he is wanted for – what he is running from,” negotiators said. “Every little thing you learn, everything you do and say is part of the scenario.”

NYPD hostage negotiators are trained to work with the hostage-taker, to reason with him when possible, and to try to make him see that holding someone against their will is not a way out, police officials said.

“Patience counts for a lot during negotiations,” the detective said. “But you can never forget that an innocent person is caught in the middle. This guy wants out. In most cases, he probably doesn’t want to hurt you, or anyone else.

“But that doesn’t mean he won’t,” the negotiators said.

“You know the saying, ‘It was him or me,’” negotiators said. “You can wait it out, wait for someone on the other end of a phone to get you out, or make a decision to take matters into your own hands.

“It’s like they say – you have to be there.”