On Jan. 25, an unidentified female student was called at her residence hall room by an unconfirmed company and asked to provide a slew of personal information for financial aid purposes. After becoming suspicious of the caller’s intent for the information, the student canceled her credit cards, restricted her bank account access and reported the incident to the Eugene Police Department. But in the opinion of Department of Public Safety officers, EPD officers and the Federal Trade Commission, post-incident actions are not half as important as public awareness and prevention methods when it comes to potential identity theft.
“It’s a big epidemic,” EPD Community Service Officer Erik Humphrey said.
Considering identity thieves can use personal information for everything from opening new credit card accounts to buying cars, Humphrey suggests safe-guarding all forms of information that could possibly be used in the crime.
“A Social Security number is the floodgate,” he said. “If someone has multiple forms of identification, it’s much worse.”
The Federal Trade Commission offers a wealth of advice on what to do to prevent identity theft as well as what to do if victimized. Concerned individuals can take several measures to minimize their risk, including ordering credit report copies from each of the three major credit bureaus, avoiding the use of personal information for account passwords and shredding discarded statements and receipts.
Other recommended actions include carrying only needed identification information, paying attention to bill cycles and providing a Social Security number sparingly. In the event of information misuse or theft, the victim should take three steps immediately: contact credit bureau fraud departments, close all endangered accounts and file a report with local authorities.
Besides financial burden, Humphrey said identity theft can jeopardize a victim’s entire future by causing lingering problems resulting in a horrible credit history.
“There are several prongs to identity theft and its consequences,” he said. “There needs to be a heightened awareness so that individuals are not so trusting in giving out their information.”
DPS Associate Director Tom Hicks said the victimized University student was called by a supposed representative of a company called Clout, which claimed association with an organization called National Universities. The unidentified caller, described as a personable male, first asked the student to confirm her address and phone number, then to provide more personal information to determine her eligibility for financial aid, Hicks said. The student, somewhat suspicious, asked the caller a few questions before she provided him with her date of birth, her income from the previous year, her social security number and her mother’s maiden name, Hicks said.
“Mother’s maiden name should be a red flag,” Humphrey said. “If someone tries that, contact EPD right away.”
Hicks said the closest match to the named organization is the National Universities Commission, but DPS has not been able to confirm if Clout is a true company. In the event others receive similar calls, Hicks advised students to ask for a written request for the information. He added that a legitimate company should be considerate of one’s decision to refrain from giving out information over the telephone.
Identity theft victims are advised to file a complaint with the FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline by telephone at 1-877-IDTHEFT, by mail or online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.