Crime forum to help public `deter, defend'.

Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard

COTTAGE GROVE - The state's top justice official will lead a public forum here Thursday night on how consumers can protect themselves against identity theft, Internet child predators and methamphetamine abuse.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Oregon has the country's 13th-highest identity theft rate, an unwelcome distinction that has prompted Attorney General Hardy Myers to meet the public throughout the state in an effort to prevent more victims. The 75-minute forum, "Protect Your Family and Yourself," is his first in Lane or Douglas counties.

"It lends credibility that it's an important enough problem for the attorney general to come out personally," said state Rep. Bruce Hanna, a Roseburg Republican who is co-hosting the forum. "It's a great time to bring people out and start educating folks - and have them turn around and educate us. What can we do legislatively? What can we do to help make you feel better?"

Oregon Department of Justice spokeswoman Jan Margosian said Myers is working with local officials such as Hanna to "bring statistics and examples from each county and city" to the forums.

He will speak in particular about methamphetamine abuse, how individuals and families can prevent it, and how it connects with identity theft.

"There's a huge, direct link," Margosian said. "We have a terrible problem with meth in Oregon. And almost every meth bust they make, when they get in there they see computers, credit cards, driver's licenses."

While many Americans assume thieves steal their Social Security or credit card numbers through the Internet, studies show that upward of 80 percent of such information is acquired the old-fashioned way, through home invasion burglaries and mailbox theft.

"We try to teach people to deter, detect and defend," Margosian said.

To prevent identifying information from being stolen from mailboxes, for example, the department recommends "never putting your bills there; instead, taking the time to drive them to the post office."

The forum also will address how to "identify and combat the latest consumer scams" in Lane and Douglas counties, she said.

"It can be as simple as not giving your personal information to someone you don't know," Margosian said. "When in doubt, check it out. Take a minute before signing a contract, before giving someone your credit card number over the phone, before letting someone in the door."

She noted that the department operates a consumer hot line (877-877-9392) just so Oregonians can call and double check on such overtures. "We have six lines open every weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.," she said. "You can check out anything. And if we don't know, we'll find out for you."

Consumer protection also means preventing sexual predators from preying on children through the Internet, so findings of the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force also will be presented at Thursday's forum.

"Many, many parents out there don't have a clue what's happening to their children online, what they're being bombarded with," Margosian said.

That may be particularly true for parents of some Cottage Grove middle and high school students. The district recently received a grant to purchase home computers for about 100 students whose households did not have one.

While a condition of that giveaway is that such students and their parents attend training about the uses and dangers of the Internet, South Lane School District Superintendent Krista Parent welcomed discussion of the latter topic at the Thursday forum.

"We were just at the Oregon School Boards Conference where there was a presentation on myspace.com and other sites," she said. "Some of our school board members who are parents didn't realize everything that was out there."

Protective strategies range from parental control software to "just never, ever have the computer in the children's rooms," Margosian said. "Instead, it should be right out there where parents can go by and see what's on the screen."

CONSUMER PROTECTION FORUM

What: Oregon's attorney general comes to town to discuss prevention strategies

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: First Presbyterian Church, 216 S. Third St., Cottage Grove

Cost: Free

Information: AG's consumer hot line at [phone]