Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force - Identity Theft
by Heather Cline Hoganson

If you have interns named Jason, Josh, Jeremy, or Matt - listen closely!

According to Sacramento's Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force Investigator Mike Menz, unhappy employees, interns, and contractors are a business' biggest threat when it comes to stealing information (credit card information, client information, etc.). Jason, Josh, Jeremy and Matt seem to figure as prominent names in the "bust book" showing that it's not people from across the globe on which a business needs to focus, but those seemingly friendly faces at work, at the cashier's desk, and at the campus career day.

Sometimes they really ARE out to get you - so being paranoid when it comes to computers and your personal information can be a good thing. While DNS attacks are a felony, they happen frequently enough that a business needs a defense plan against Matt and Jeremy. If your office can trace an attack within the first hour, your service provider can block it. Considering that DSL and cable modems get probed 18 times per day, your office Internet site is a "challenge" for Jason to break. Make sure you at least start with a good firewall.

At a recent meeting, Jeff Ritschard, deputy district attorney assigned to the Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, warned SLUG members about becoming lax in security measures. As member Donna Reed pointed out from personal experience, little bits of information stolen here and there can surface months later - your address and someone else's social security or account number, or vice versa.

Take a hammer and a railroad spike to those old hard drives or CD-ROM backups you don't want anymore - otherwise you may be throwing important client information Jason's way. A simple "format" is never enough, as data can still be retrieved by those who want it. Scratches on CDs can be repaired as well. If you don't use a cross-shredding paper shredder, Josh may use a scanner to put the strips of shredded paper back into the original credit card statement. Those of you who watch the X-Files spin-off, The Lone Gunmen, saw this in action recently - yes, it can happen!

Even at home, consider a locked mail slot. Young Josh can come by an open mailbox, take out your new Visa cards, get the information, and put the cards back in without it looking like your envelope was ever opened. When you call and activate your Visa card, Josh has full access to start charging. You don't even know your information has been stolen - until the bills start coming in. Even then, many identity thieves steal in amounts small enough that people don't notice, such as a $9.95 charge here, a $6.50 charge there. The charges add up, but it may take a while before someone scrutinizes the bills and starts asking questions.

Mike Menz also showed SLUG members how easy counterfeiting can be - with a paint program and a scanner, Jeremy can make employee passes, driver's licenses, or a $7 tax refund check look like $777. A little hairspray and linseed oil can make counterfeit dollars pass muster at the grocery store.

Jeff Ritschard shared some important web sites with SLUG members.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at www.privacyrights.org focuses on identity theft, with practical information and advocacy information.

The Federal Trade Commission produces a booklet called "ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name." See the FTC web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

For privacy alerts and information on pending legislation and regulations, check out the U.S. Public Internet Research Group at pirg.org/consumer/index.htm.

ww.epic.org is a privacy advocacy group that deals with privacy issues in general, providing links to sites and sources.

Watch out! It's dangerous out there on the Internet.