October is National Crime Prevention month. As part of the month’s events, LifeLock is partnering with the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association to share information on identity theft prevention. Together, they are holding summits meant to benefit law enforcement. The goal is to educate them on the newest techniques identity thieves are using and how to adequately fight the crime.
In addition, to benefit consumers, the organization will be holding educational seminars that anyone can attend for free. These seminars are known as the LifeLock Speaker Series. Attendees of the series will learn more about how identity theft occurs and what they can do to avoid becoming a statistic. In addition to the information included in the seminars, Lifelock offered the following information in a recent press release:
*If you get an “official” call requesting personal information, cross check the number on your caller ID. Sometimes thieves can spoof the number, making a call appear to be from an institution it’s not really from. Instead of blindly giving out your personal details, make sure the number is the official one for that institution.
*Do a check of your rental history. This is one way to find out if a thief has taken out a lease in your name. You should do this even if you currently own your home. You never know if a thief could still be taking advantage of your good credit to secure a property.
*Get in touch with a company like Intelliscript to help determine if a thief is requesting prescription drugs in your name. A lot of people don’t find out until they get a notice from the insurance company. This company will let you see your entire prescription history.
*Be wary of debt collectors who still contact you after you tell them to stop. Since real debt collectors are legally obligated to cease contact in most cases, it’s likely the person that continues to hound you is an identity thief. If not, you should still report the person because he or she is breaking the law.
If you see any of these Lifelock Speaker Series advertised in your area I would highly recommend attending. Actually, it would be good to attend any seminar on identity theft… not only to learn how rampant and devastating it is but more importantly what you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones protected.
Don’t forget to encourage your law enforcement friends sign up for the joint FBI and LifeLock training as well. Without the assistance of knowledgeable peace officers the crime is going to continue its upright projection. I am sure everyone agrees that 10 million American identity theft victims per year and the cost of $50 Billion to the economy is enough. Education and action is what we need right now, so lets encourage everyone to contribute.