Stealing at the touch of a button

Ryan Postic is very cautious these days about entering in his password and details when he logs into his computer to check his e-mail, a minor detail many people wouldn’t think twice about. That is because Postic has become a statistic in the growing trend of identity theft.

This past summer, Postic had his identity stolen and used on eBay, a popular online auction community. A fraudster found a way to commandeer his eBay profile that had sat idle for over two months. The thief sold fraudulent items both in Canada and in the United States, using Postic’s name and information.

“This person somehow took hold of my identity,” Postic said. “They were using my credible name to rip off unsuspecting people. They even sold an imaginary motorbike.”

Postic didn’t become aware of these incidents until months after the initial frauds took place. A woman in New Jersey called him asking when a motorcycle for her husband would be delivered.
“I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. The hassle I had to go through to resolve all these issues took months,” said Postic. “I don’t have faith in purchasing online anymore, and I don’t take my identity for granted.”

Identity theft is the criminal act of assuming another person’s name, address, social insurance number and/or date of birth in order to commit crime, typically fraud. Since these fraudsters are extremely hard to catch, the victim is most often left with debt, a marked credit record, and a painful and tedious amount of time trying to regain control of his identity. Furthermore, the advent of the Internet places the ball nicely into the court of these thieves.

Consumers today are more willing and eager than ever to go online to shop, bank and pay bills.
Research conducted by ComScore, an organization that analyzes consumer behaviour, found that spending by Canadians at more than 200 of the largest e-commerce sites in Canada and other countries increased by 20 per cent during the fourth quarter of 2003 compared to the previous year.

However, the same study found that the growth in e-commerce was primarily the result of an increase in online-travel spending. One reason for this growth is the increase of direct payment from the consumer to the vendor as opposed to a third party such as PayPal, an online payment service that has received negative press recently due to problems including identity theft.

Detective Brad Martin of the Calgary Police Service’s Technological Crimes Unit suggests that consumers are using more discretion with online purchasing and matters of personal
identity.

However, he warns that even with updated security features such as those added to Alberta driver licenses or higher encryption on websites, people need to take control of their vulnerability when dealing with their identity.

“These fraudsters always find a way to beat the current system,” he said. “No matter how safe or secure you believe your identity or your valuables are, criminals will discover a weakness in the system. So really, anyone is at risk.”

Martin said his department finds identity thefts occur using both traditional and non-traditional methods. “Thieves scavenge through garbage, steal mail, break into homes, and search and hack on the Internet to find information on people,” Martin said. He added that by putting simple safeguards into place, this type of theft can easily be prevented.

“The onus lies upon people to take the time to follow simple steps to prevent identity theft from happening to them,” Martin said.

In general, people do not believe that identity theft can or will happen to them; a
preconceived notion that Martin says is ignorant and could haunt them.
According to PhoneBusters, an anti-fraud agency sponsored by the Government of Canada and the RCMP, there were 1,079 known incidents of identity theft in Alberta in 2003 alone. These crimes paid out a total of $1,282,716 to the culprits behind the frauds.


“The typical identity theft crime committed involves stealing money and obtaining credit cards,” Martin said. “But there is a lot more damage that can be done. Tax fraud, committing more traditional crimes under the victim’s name, setting up spoof websites and receiving medical services are other reasons why identity theft is a serious concern.”

Identity Theft Prevention Tips

- Keep your Social Insurance Number (SIN) secret, and out of your purse or wallet. If someone asks for it, ask why.
- Immediately remove mail delivered to your mailbox — cancel mail when away.
- Buy a shredder to destroy pre-approved credit applications, credit-card receipts, bills and any sensitive financial information.
- Never give personal information over the phone or Internet such as SIN, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, credit card number, or banking PIN number.
- Never leave receipts at bank machines, bank counters, trash receptacles, or unattended gas pumps.
- Monitor your credit report.
- Save all credit card receipts and match them up against your monthly statements. Closely examine your monthly statements before paying them.
- Do not carry extra cheques or credit cards unless absolutely necessary.

This article originally appeared in the Calgary Journal