BOARDMAN Police alert public to identity theft risks

Police say identity theft crimes are reported daily.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Township police are asking residents and shoppers, particularly those with a driver's license or Social Security card, to use caution as a weapon in the ongoing fight against identity theft.
Capt. Jack Nichols said he's seeing several new cases of identity theft or fraud every day.
According to Nichols, there is no one type of identity thief or identity crime that potential victims can try to avoid.
"These types of crimes have a bunch of different faces and work in several different ways," Nichols said.
Some would-be identity thieves spend time perusing the aisles at stores in the township, he said.
These people are not looking for groceries, knickknacks or the latest fashion. They are looking for any purse left unattended in a shopping cart, he said.
"The most important thing in a wallet or purse, believe it or not, is a driver's license," Nichols said. "With that driver's license a thief can do all sorts of things."
Mail thefts reported
Some thieves planning to steal a person's identity do not spend time wandering through stores looking for victims -- they instead come to the victim's home. Township police have been investigating a list of crimes which mail was stolen from mailboxes at personal residences.
Residents often find their opened mail stuffed in sewer openings or lying alongside the road.
"Virtually every day something comes in your mail that can be used by someone else to establish your identity," Nichols said.
Still, there are those who, according to Nichols, write fake checks that they have made on a home computer.
Nichols said police have seen a substantial increase in identity theft and fraud crimes over the past three years. He said the township likely sees more identity theft crimes than some other areas because of the large retail district and varying daytime population.
As a result of that increase, police have assigned three officers to handle such cases almost exclusively.
Nichols said the cases take time to discover and are time-consuming to investigate. In the end, a person or institution usually suffers a financial loss, he said.
Advice
To ward off would-be identity thieves, Nichols suggested that people keep close watch on their mailboxes and their neighbors' mailboxes. He said residents should get a description of anyone hanging around a mailbox other than the mail carrier and call police.
Nichols said those shopping in the township should remember to keep personal identification such as driver's license and Social Security card separated from purses and wallets that can be stolen. He said it is a good idea to carry only the credit cards one intends to use.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of identity theft should get a copy of their credit report and contact police immediately, Nichols said.
The sooner authorities have been notified, the sooner police can determine who is pretending to be you.
jgoodwin@vindy.com