Identity theft is a crime that’s better prevented than pursued after the fact. That was the message former FBI agent Jeff Lanza delivered to his audience Thursday night at Parrott Bey.
During his 20-year career with the FBI in Kansas City, Lanza specialized in cyber crime and identity theft. He has spoken on the topic around the country and on programs such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Larry King Live, Hannity and Colmes, Fox and Friends, CNN Primetime with Wolf Blitzer and National Public Radio. Wells Fargo Advisors, as well as the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Pittsburg Police Department provided the free seminar.
Lanza used real life anecdotes to highlight his points. There was the time, for instance, when as a green agent he answered the phone and took bets — and contact information — from customers while busting a booking agent. There also was the time when a drug dealer’s TV antenna picked up the signal from being transmitted from surveillance equipment and almost blew an operation. Two lackeys saw themselves on the screen but their boss didn’t believe them.
“They’re still talking about that one in prison,” Lanza said.
Lanza said there were 8 million victims of identity theft in the United States in 2010. And senior citizen fraud, he continued, is a $40 billion per year industry.
“We’re not just dealing with dumb criminals here,” he said. “We need to tame the wild beast of fraud.”
And there are many beasts, Lanza continued. Savvy criminals can steal identities through physical theft of identities, by going through mail and dumpster diving, and by “phishing” e-mails — such as the Nigerian scams that ask people to directly send money — and by account takeovers.
“A lot of fraud can be avoided with common sense,” Lanza said. “But sometimes I think it shouldn’t be called ‘common.’”
It’s important to remember that criminals can’t steal an identity without someone’s actual social security number, Lanza said. To that he offered ways for people to protect themselves.
• Remove any cards — such as social security or Medicare — from wallets or purses. Tape over the number and make copies. Make sure physicians and other health providers know you’ve done this so they will accept the copies. Also, keep a record of what cards you carry.
• Don’t leave the flag up on your mailbox. Criminals might search for outgoing checks, steal them and “wash” them — chemically remove the ink, leaving a blank check. Also, use a gel pen when writing checks so that the ink soaks into the paper.
