LOSING YOURSELF TO ID THEFT MODERN TECHNOLOGY MAKING CRIME EASIER.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer PALMDALE - Sheriff's investigators call identity theft the ``up and coming crime of the future.'' Five years ago, investigators said, identity theft was a very small problem in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley but steadily increased until about two years ago when incidents, losses and arrests skyrocketed. Hundreds of mail thefts have occurred this year, and more than two dozen people have been arrested on mail theft, identify theft and forgery forgery, in art forgery, in art, the false claim to authenticity for a work of art. The Nature of Forgery Because the provenance of works of art is seldom clear and because their origin is often judged by means of subtle factors, art charges. ``Identity theft, check and check card theft have all become a real problem,'' said Deputy Mark Machanic of the Palmdale sheriff's station's Special Investigation's Detail, which targets the thieves. ``Crooks are always trying to find a way to beat the system and people who aren't careful make it really easy for them.'' Since the beginning of the year, Palmdale detectives have seized thousands of dollars in stolen checks and property purchased with fraudulent checks and credit cards. They have also confiscated con·fis·cate tr.v. con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates 1. To seize (private property) for the public treasury. 2. To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate. adj. dozens of pieces of computer equipment used to print fake checks, identification and social security cards. Investigators say the thieves acquire much of the information from documents stolen from personal and business mailboxes. The people who steal the mail either use the information themselves or trade it for narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. or stolen property. Mail thieves look for financial information like bank, credit card, 401(k), or social security statements, as well as utility bills and checks. All the information obtained from these documents can be used to create new identities so thieves can apply for credit cards or charge accounts. Thieves can alter checks stolen from mailboxes, using basic printers' chemicals to erase the payee The person who is to receive the stated amount of money on a check, bill, or note. payee n. the one named on a check or promissory note to receive payment. PAYEE. The person in whose favor a bill of exchange is made payable. and amount. They can then enter a fake name and any amount they want. The thieves then create an identification so that they can cash the check. All of this seemingly seem·ing adj. Apparent; ostensible. n. Outward appearance; semblance. seem  ing·ly adv. high-tech work can be done with just about
any home computer with a good quality printer, officials said.
In most cases, victims don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. their credit information has been stolen for several weeks or months. It isn't until they apply for credit and are turned down, check their credit report or are contacted by a collection agency or attorney representing a company defrauded by thieves, that they find out. By the time sheriff's investigators are called in, the trail is usually several months old and investigators have to do a lot of foot work to trace back the crime to the criminal. Since Nov. 28 alone, investigators have made eight arrests in mail and identity theft cases. Five of those arrests were made in what detectives characterized as a widespread mail and identity theft ring. The mail thefts had occurred in Gorman, Lake Hughes, Lake Elizabeth Lake Elizabeth may refer to
Officials say following some basic practices can lower the risk of becoming a victim. Officials suggest always dropping mail in a locked box like the blue, curb side post office boxes or dropping it at the post office directly. Never leave mail in a mailbox A simulated mailbox in the computer that holds e-mail messages. Mailboxes are stored on disk as a file of messages, a database of messages or as an individual file for each message. The standard mailboxes are usually In, Out, Trash and Junk (Spam). for very long, and it is best to pick it up right after the carrier delivers it. If mail cannot be picked up in a timely manner, then it is better to have mail delivered to a post office box or office. Before mail is thrown out, even if it seems harmless enough, it should be shredded shred n. 1. A long irregular strip that is cut or torn off. 2. A small amount; a particle: not a shred of evidence. tr.v. or disposed of where it is not accessible until it can be picked up. Information in credit card offers, life insurance offers or utility bills is often enough to begin gathering other personal information. Credit reports should be checked frequently, as should bank statements, to make sure no fraudulent activity has occurred. |
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