| Seminar provides tips to prevent identity theft
If knowledge is power, Carryl Grubbs has the upper hand.Grubbs, accompanied by her husband, Glen, was among a crowd of about 25 cautious Lake Saint Louis residents eagerly awaiting the start of a seminar Tuesday on how to prevent identity theft.The hour-long presentation, hosted by the city's police department, was meant to address the area's need for a heightened awareness of the dangerous issue, one that Grubbs said she now feels better prepared for."No one wants to think something is going to happen, but it's obvious that it happens before you know it," she said.That's what instructor Joan Crenshaw wanted her audience to remember most: When it comes to identity theft, it's all about prevention. So much so, said Crenshaw, senior vice president of New Frontier Bank, that she has been to dozens of church basements, organizations and homes in St.
Beat the living ID out of thieves
OK, let me see if I've got this straight. Here in Canada (Motto: Harper's Bizarre) it is illegal to do things like own burglary tools, illicit drugs, and pig farms for body disposal purposes, but it's fine if you are in possession of someone else's ID I mean all of their ID. As in, you're using it. Yes folks, welcome to the Great White North where this is not a crime. At least it wasn't until last week. I (bad word) you not. Our federal government (Motto: You're stuck with us), while on a break from preparing for the Mulroney investigation has introduced legislation making it illegal to collect documents belonging to others to commit fraud. What's next? A national firearms registration? Ha! The Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson recently told a news conference that: "Every day the issue of identity theft affects or threatens more Canadian families and businesses." Who wrote that little gem of wisdom Rob? Monkeys? For those of you just joining us, I did not take my anti-sarcasm pills today.
Yuma lawmaker victim of ID theft
State Sen. Amanda Aguirre, who has made identity theft prevention one of her legislative priorities, says she became a victim of the crime earlier this month when a credit card of hers was used fraudulently. "My immediate thought was this couldn't be happening," Aguirre said. "It's a reality check that anyone can be a victim of identity theft." Aguirre said she received a call earlier this month on her cell phone from her credit card company, which wanted to confirm whether she had bought some shoes. The following day, she got another call asking whether she had bought what appeared to be clothing. Both transactions, which were made online, were done using her credit number. In total, the purchases amounted to more than $3,000. The purchases were ordered from stores in North Carolina and California and supposed to be mailed to addresses in those states.
Be crime-savvy when you shop
Editor's note: This week's shooting at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Neb., underscores the public safety issues that large gathering places like shopping centers face. Today, the Sunday Record explores crime trends at our regional shopping malls. What we found is that larcencies, such as shoplifting and car break-ins and thefts, far outnumber crimes against individuals. While our region did have a mall shooting in Kingston in February 2005, incidents involving guns or assaults at Hudson Valley shopping centers were rare, according to police reports from January 2006 through July 2007.
In many localities, they are the center of weekend social life, where people converge to shop, play or just be seen. But they are also the sites of fights, identity theft and millions of dollars worth of shoplifting each year.
Ex-con:ID theft can be prevented
Sparks resident Angela Cady knows firsthand the harm identity theft causes. "Identity theft is like murder. You're murdering that person's identity -- everything that they are on paper," she said. "It's really sad what it can do to people, how long it takes them to get their life straight again." More than 11.8 million Americans have been affected by identity theft since April 2004, according to the Sparks Police Department, which is holding a free identity theft prevention course Wednesday night. Information also will be provided on the appropriate steps for victims of ID theft to take. Cady isn't a victim. She spent six years in prison for stealing someone's identity and, having learned from her experience, shared her story to help others protect themselves.
Aussies lose ID in trash
AUSTRALIANS should lock their mailboxes and shred their mail to avoid identity theft, federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has told a conference on identity fraud. Mr Ruddock told the Sydney meeting the problem of identity fraud had grown exponentially because of modern communications. But snail mail and hardcopy documents still presented a problem, he said, and Australians should think of investing in a shredder, and perhaps a lock on their letterbox. ''Identity theft occurred predominantly when crooks got access to an individual's financial records, making protection of hardcopy documents essential,'' Mr Ruddock said. "It's very important to look at how you handle your personal paperwork, what you put in your waste bins," he said.
School Me, Please!
Now it's E.J. Dionne wringing his hands about the worry among Democrats that Republicans are ready to use impatience with illegal immigration to win back voters dissatisfied with the status quo. What's changed? Well, President Bush--the main politician doing the GOP-splitting--is leaving the scene. The Republican electorate seems to have decisively turned against his illegal-immigrant semi-amnesty. Result: No more split! But the powerful GOP anti-legalization sentiment was obviously latent even in 2006. The MSM just chose not to notice. Anti-legalization sentiment has also been manifestly latent among Democratic voters--including, but not limited to, unskilled workers whose wages have been suppressed by immigrant competition. What's odd, then, is that the Dems now aren't split.
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