Chattanooga: Travelers urged shield ID

AAA estimates that 40.4 million people will travel this July 4th, a decline of about 1.3 percent from last year, but officials say that still means ample opportunities for identity theft and fraud.

Special Agent Donna Job, Chattanooga field office supervisor for the U.S. Secret Service, said many people open themselves up to fraud and identity theft while on vacation.

“A lot of people take too much stuff with them when they travel,” she said. “Do they really need all five credit cards? The less you take, the better off you will be if someone steals it.”

Information obtained from bills and other personal mail can be used to open other lines of credit. That is why Agent Job recommends that travelers halt their mail with the U.S. Postal Service while traveling.

“They will go through your mailbox,” she said.

According to a survey conducted by the Federal Trade Commission, almost 20 percent of all identity theft victims reported that someone used their personal information to open new lines of credit.

Victims then are often hounded by debt collectors or denied legitimate credit lines because of the fraud.

According to the FTC, more than 8 million Americans are victims of identity theft each year. Most of those thefts involve the misuse of someone’s credit card, but it is often from someone using another’s personal information to open new lines of credit.

“Whether you are from Malibu or Manhattan, Tacoma or Tallahassee, no one is immune to identity theft,” said Lydia B. Parnes, director of the Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The important thing is that people learn how to deter identity thieves, detect suspicious activity on their financial records and defend against the crime should it happen.”

According to the FTC, 10 percent of identity theft victims suffered losses of more than $1,200 and spent up to 130 hours trying to resolve the matter.

Currently, some Chattanooga area residents have fallen victim to a new twist on the Nigerian e-mail scam.

Agent Job said the Secret Service is monitoring a scam where packages containing checks for large amounts of money are mailed to people with a letter directing them to cash the check at a nonbank business in exchange for a percentage of the money.

Agent Job said the checks are counterfeit.

“People are doing it,” she said. “I don’t know why they think someone will randomly send them a check, but I guess some people will do just about anything for a dollar.”

The FTC recommends getting a copy of your credit report every year and protect your personal information.

For more information about protecting yourself from identity theft, visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft.