While spending a year in Iraq, Austin Speer never expected to return home to find his name, date of birth, address and Social Security number stolen and used illegally.
“I was so upset about this,” said Speer, 23, who owns his own business called Speer Tile. “I thought I’d come home from fighting and not have any worries, but I was wrong.”
Another Boulder resident expressed her surprise when she heard her information was within the computer stolen from Metro State University.
“I couldn’t believe that this happened,” said Amanda Rodell, 22, an education and history major at Metro State. “I was just praying that nothing bad would happen to my credit or personal records. I wish everyone would be more safe with social security numbers.”
Identity theft like Speer’s and Rodell’s is more common than most people think.
“We see a lot of issues where a friend will use another friend’s name and date of birth when dealing with a minor in possession ticket or a traffic stop,” said Julie Brooks, Boulder Police public information officer.
However, this type of identity theft is different from forgery or credit card fraud, which the Boulder PD has found to be most common.
“In financial identity theft, we see cases where checks are stolen, washed out, and used at desired locations,” Brooks said. “We also see a lot of very sophisticated Internet fraud crimes where people will hack into Web sites and use account numbers illegally.”
To avoid these financial setbacks and inconveniences, the Boulder PD asks that people, especially students, take a few minutes to protect themselves.
“We have found that students are less likely to take precautions in keeping from being victims,” Brooks said. “We ask that you shred everything you get in the mail that you don’t want, especially if it includes your name, address, date of birth and Social Security numbers. Credit card offers should be completely shredded all the time and not just thrown away.”
As far as Internet protection, the small step of looking for a padlock can save bank accounts from being cleared out.
“Make sure the Internet purchases you are making come from a secure Web site,” Brooks said. “Look for the padlock on the page and read all security notices.”
Another vulnerability for students is their laptops and the information in them.
“Stolen laptops are common among the student population, and if you pay bills online or have other important information on it, crimes can easily be committed,” Brooks said.
While not as common in Boulder, drug-related identity theft is a problem nationally and in other parts of Colorado.
“It is common for meth-heads and drug users or dealers to go through stacked-up mail and use checks illegally in order to support their habit,” Brooks said. “The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has their own investigators to catch these types of criminals.”
When a financial identity theft crime has been committed, Brooks said the first step is to call the bank where the money was kept.
“If you feel you are a victim, it is important to call your bank right away and close all accounts,” Brooks said. “Most of the time the bank will write it off and refund the money after their own investigations, but sometimes we can help to catch local criminals using surveillance video.”
For more information on identity theft and how to protect yourself, visit www.bouldercolorado.gov/police.
