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Published October 24, 2007 07:48 pm - By Karen Williamson KARENW@CULLMANTIMES.COM Experts agree shredding mail, paying bills and viewing bank statements online, picking up new check orders at the bank and mailing bills at the post office are ways to stop identity theft. Scam Jam 2007 held The Cullman Times By Karen Williamson
KARENW@CULLMANTIMES.COM Experts agree shredding mail, paying bills and viewing bank statements online, picking up new check orders at the bank and mailing bills at the post office are ways to stop identity theft. If people take those steps, they will have reduced their risk for identity theft considerably, according to Federal Trade Commission attorney Paul Davis from Atlanta who was one of the experts at the 2007 Scam Jam Wednesday at City Hall. “That right there will eliminate a certain percentage of identity theft,” he said. Paying bills online requires the use of anti-virus software and firewalls on personal computers, and both have to be updated regularly, he said. Davis recommends contacting one of the three consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — every four months to request a free credit report. “Federal law allows you to get free copies of each one every year,” he said. That way people will know quickly if there is a problem. Ten to 15 percent of identity theft victims don’t realize their information has been stolen for three years, said Davis. He also recommended people use the Annual Credit Report Web site, www.annualcreditreport.com, to obtain a free report rather than the commercial site, Free Credit Report, which is going to try to sell consumers something. Using or creating a new credit card account is the most common type of fraud. Five percent of stolen identities originate from a stolen piece of mail. The secret service recently said the number is 25 percent. “Whether a small amount or large amount, stolen mail is a source of identity theft,” said Davis. Davis called identity theft a “preventable crime.” “If you can stop them from getting information, then they cannot use it.” 
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