Groups Show How Top Stop Identity Theft
"With so many Americans falling victim to identity theft and fraud, this year's National Consumer Protection Week is focusing on how consumers can better safeguard their personal information.
Government agencies, consumer advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations will spend the week of Feb. 6-12 encouraging Americans to learn more about ways to protect their Social Security numbers and other personal data, recognize fraudulent telemarketers and avoid computer scammers.
'Identity theft is one of those problems that needs serious attention and effort on the part of both consumers and industry,' said Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America in Washington, D.C. 'There's an urgent need to raise awareness.'
What fraudsters do is steal wallets and purses, go through mail boxes, rummage through trash or send bogus e-mails to try to get Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and other personal information. They then use the information to drain a victim's bank account or to open new accounts in the victim's name or to take out loans for cars and even homes.
The Federal Trade Commission, which coordinates the government's consumer fraud prevention efforts, recently reported that ID theft topped the list of complaints to the agency in 2004 for the fifth year in a row, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the 635,000 complaints that were filed.
FTC spokeswoman Claudia Bourne Farrell said that while thieves had become more resourceful, so have consumers."
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Government agencies, consumer advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations will spend the week of Feb. 6-12 encouraging Americans to learn more about ways to protect their Social Security numbers and other personal data, recognize fraudulent telemarketers and avoid computer scammers.
'Identity theft is one of those problems that needs serious attention and effort on the part of both consumers and industry,' said Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America in Washington, D.C. 'There's an urgent need to raise awareness.'
What fraudsters do is steal wallets and purses, go through mail boxes, rummage through trash or send bogus e-mails to try to get Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and other personal information. They then use the information to drain a victim's bank account or to open new accounts in the victim's name or to take out loans for cars and even homes.
The Federal Trade Commission, which coordinates the government's consumer fraud prevention efforts, recently reported that ID theft topped the list of complaints to the agency in 2004 for the fifth year in a row, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the 635,000 complaints that were filed.
FTC spokeswoman Claudia Bourne Farrell said that while thieves had become more resourceful, so have consumers."
Read Full Article
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