Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 2 March 2006 — Page 33

The Muncie Times • March 2, 2006 • Page 33

NEWS BRIEFS

continued from page 32 theft of a pre-approved without your knowledge) credit card offer (often has stolen your Social complete with a ready-to-Security number, created sign card in the envelope), and impersonated you, A thief can simply sign the created a false driver's card and commence a license in your name, mar- shopping spree at your ried a woman using your expense.??Dumpster name and Social Security divers often try to maxinumber and now owes mize their yield by using back child support, all in the data to open new credyour name.??This really it accounts, keeping your happened and underscores name but changing the the lengths some people address to receive the will go (even your close cards.??Other useful items friends) to steal your iden- are outdated bank statetity. ments, receipts, outdated As America moves checks or prescriptions.?? towards a paperless soci- Another old-fashion ety, identity theft is method of stealing one’s becoming one of the identity is stealing mail, fastest growing crimes in While stealing mail has the nation and it's happen- been going on for years, ing to those who are care- identity thieves have been less as well as those who reaping a bonanza in take extraordinary care to recent years, protect their vital statis- Unprotected mailboxes tics.??"Dumpster diving" are prime candidates for is one of the most com- theft and identity thieves mon ways a person can are stealing both incoming have their identity stolen, and outgoing mail. While The procedure does not the small red flag may take sophisticated knowl- alert the postman that outedge of computers or going mail is ready for require that a criminal per- pickup, it also alerts idenfects security software to tity thieves that an opporseize your personal tunity for theft has arisen, records. ?? "Dumpster Some in the industry call diving merely requires the red flag the "steal that a person sifts through me" flag.??The Federal your trash can and look Trade Commission's for paper records for per- Bureau of Consumer sonal financial records Protection has the mansuch as bank statements, date to oversee the credit card offers, billing, agency's identity theft medical records and other team. ??"The agency uses personal, financial docu- two primary tools to curb ments. The dumpster of the rise in identity theftbusinesses like an accoun- enforcement and contant’s office is far more sumer education," said desirable than residential Betsey Brooder, assistant trash.?? One^ Of the most director of the Federal - fr^nO'Wf»efS# 1 ''TrSa« 3fi::> ©SnitiiMIW dumpster diving is the Bureau of Consumer

Protection. ?"The agency cated that they delayed John Bowman, Hank has instituted outreach ini- going public with the mat- Jones and Ray Boudreaux tiatives to assure that busi- ter until they researched held a forum last month at nesses are aware of their what information was on the Washington, D.C., requirement to destroy the tapes, who it affected office of TransAfrica. and protect consumer and if the issue was sensi- They have in common the information. By shredding tive enough to justify a suffering they endured in your unwanted credit card nationwide announce- 1971 under interrogation

applications, your old ment.

bank statements and your

concerning a police shoot-

In the hands of a crimi- ing in San Francisco.??

charge bills, you will nal, the identities of those They were indicted by a guarantee that those consumers on the missing grand jury, but the court pieces of information will tapes could be decided the methods used be nothing but trash and stolen.??Don Hoes is a to obtain information were not fodder for identity Maryland resident who unlawful—and the thieves."?? Increasingly, considered himself very Panthers were freed from consumers are shredding smart and immune to jail.??Thirty-four years

their own documents and identity theft, until it haprecords as a means to pened to him. Hoes has reduce the chances of now become an expert in identity theft. ??Much of the field after taking more the present-day identity than 70 days to get his theft is coming from credit status.??"Identity

theft can happen to any-

later, Bowman, Jones and Boudreaux along with many Black Panthers members once again faced their interrogators from the 70s who are now serving as agents with the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, a special division formed under the Homeland Security agency to appre-

inside jobs of major cor-

porations. Even the most one," said Hoes. "In careful consumer can today's world of e-tech-become a victim of identi- nology, it's not enough to ty theft if an employee of check one's credit activity

that company is so moti- every 30 days. A person hend suspected terrorists, vated. ?Recently, who has stolen your iden- ??"I was quite surprised Marriott International's tity can wipe out your life when I opened the door to timeshare division savings in a month, so see the same two detecrevealed that it is missing consumers need a system tives involved in beating backup computer tapes that gives them an update me [34 years earlier] containing credit card every 3 days and warns standing there. It brought

them of suspicious activi- back memories that I will

never forget," said Bowman, the former Former Panthers battling Patriot Act during

USA tour

account numbers of approximately 206,000 ty." time-share owners and consumers as well as employees of Marriott. While the company issued a general press release about the loss and sent letters to time-share owners

Panther organizer. "This is very difficult for me to discuss in public."?? According to Bowman, in 1973 he was stripped naked and beaten with

Undaunted by what they call "unconstitutional"

last week, Marriott has methods used under the blunt objects, wrapped known that the tapes were guise of the Patriot Act, with blankets soaked in missing since mid- three former Black boiling hot water, shocked November. The company Panthers are touring the with electric probes in his has notified the Secret country to bring aware- "anus and other private Service and informed ness to their recent inter- parts," punched, kicked credit card companies and rogation by anti-terrorist and slammed into walls by other financial institutions T ; w.'-inwJagJi&tfSK abbtiTth^lb^s'Wlh^e fd^. 1 ''enfcif l d^-hV6nt’. r ??F , 6TmeF'' 7 laste4'/untjl'cip ; vie»Nigat€lf^r(r ?? Marriott officials indi- Black Panthers members continued on page 34