thedrifter
04-16-09, 06:51 AM
Combating growing identity threat: Safequarding personal, private information in a digital world
4/17/2009 By Pfc. Claudio A. Martinez , Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan —Cases of Marines, sailors and family members falling victim to identity theft locally and via the Internet is on the rise this year.
The Criminal Investigation Department with the Provost Marshal’s Office here wants to inform station members how to combat the growing issue of identity theft.
“The crime that happens the most aboard MCAS Iwakuni is identity theft,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Wikel, the chief investigator with CID. “You just can’t be too careful with your personal information and your credit cards. You have to protect them as if it were your military ID card if you lose it, something has been compromised.”
The different ways station members can fall victim to identity theft is through stolen mail, checkbooks, credit cards and via the Internet.
“We have seen a lot of people being victims of identity theft over the Internet,” said Michael Valadez, an agent with CID. “People get bated into providing their information to these sites or e-mails they receive requesting their information to be updated.”
Key-logger programs that can record everything a person types are unsuspectingly embedded on computers and used as another tool against unsuspecting victims via the Internet.
“There are certain sites out there that contain viruses that you might go into and unknowingly get that virus onto your own computer,” said Valadez. “Just being mindful of what you do on the Internet and to safeguard your information at all times is really all you can do.”
Station members can also keep up-to-date antivirus, spyware and malware software on their computer to prevent being a victim of identity theft via the Internet.
Wikel said people often don’t realize that identity theft over the Internet is a very hard crime to investigate and that the best prevention is to work hard at keeping personal information secure.
While Marines, sailors and family members falling victim to identity theft via the Internet has been a growing problem, cases of locals stealing another person’s identity here has also been a concern.
“At times people trust that nothing ever happens on Iwakuni to the point where they kind of get lax in not locking or securing their articles within their room,” said Valadez.
Marines should be able to trust each other, but when it comes to your identity it becomes one of those things you keep safe, Valadez said.
Station members have fallen prey to identity theft here by carelessly leaving wallets and information easily accessible when working out, swimming or not securing it properly within their room.
People put their time, money, name and reputation at risk when they don’t safeguard their information, Wikel said. People also put their relationship with the institutions they bank and do credit with at risk making it very hard to take out loans in the future.
The first step to take if a person becomes a victim of identity theft is to contact their bank institution and put a hold on their accounts, then contact PMO and make a report they can present to their credit card companies to support their identity theft claim.
Wikel said even when a Marine or sailor goes on temporary additional duty and leaves Iwakuni, they should continue to be mindful of identity theft.
Station members can check their bank accounts and credit reports regularly through Experian.com, Equifax.com or Transunion.com as a way to combat identity theft and to keep themselves informed of any false accounts opened in their name.
Lance Cpl. Matthew Brown, an Installation Personnel Administration Center unit diary clerk with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, said he believed identity theft is detrimental to our society and the fact that we have to watch our backs for identity theft is sad.
“As Marines, we are considered brothers,” said Brown. Identity theft in the Marine Corps is a corruption of our core values, Brown added.
Station members can combat identity theft by always keeping mindful of securing documents containing their accounts, pin numbers, Social Security, credit card numbers and their date of birth.
“I want the people out there to know what they are facing,” said Wikel. “There are people that lurk and look for your personal information.”
Ellie
4/17/2009 By Pfc. Claudio A. Martinez , Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan —Cases of Marines, sailors and family members falling victim to identity theft locally and via the Internet is on the rise this year.
The Criminal Investigation Department with the Provost Marshal’s Office here wants to inform station members how to combat the growing issue of identity theft.
“The crime that happens the most aboard MCAS Iwakuni is identity theft,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Wikel, the chief investigator with CID. “You just can’t be too careful with your personal information and your credit cards. You have to protect them as if it were your military ID card if you lose it, something has been compromised.”
The different ways station members can fall victim to identity theft is through stolen mail, checkbooks, credit cards and via the Internet.
“We have seen a lot of people being victims of identity theft over the Internet,” said Michael Valadez, an agent with CID. “People get bated into providing their information to these sites or e-mails they receive requesting their information to be updated.”
Key-logger programs that can record everything a person types are unsuspectingly embedded on computers and used as another tool against unsuspecting victims via the Internet.
“There are certain sites out there that contain viruses that you might go into and unknowingly get that virus onto your own computer,” said Valadez. “Just being mindful of what you do on the Internet and to safeguard your information at all times is really all you can do.”
Station members can also keep up-to-date antivirus, spyware and malware software on their computer to prevent being a victim of identity theft via the Internet.
Wikel said people often don’t realize that identity theft over the Internet is a very hard crime to investigate and that the best prevention is to work hard at keeping personal information secure.
While Marines, sailors and family members falling victim to identity theft via the Internet has been a growing problem, cases of locals stealing another person’s identity here has also been a concern.
“At times people trust that nothing ever happens on Iwakuni to the point where they kind of get lax in not locking or securing their articles within their room,” said Valadez.
Marines should be able to trust each other, but when it comes to your identity it becomes one of those things you keep safe, Valadez said.
Station members have fallen prey to identity theft here by carelessly leaving wallets and information easily accessible when working out, swimming or not securing it properly within their room.
People put their time, money, name and reputation at risk when they don’t safeguard their information, Wikel said. People also put their relationship with the institutions they bank and do credit with at risk making it very hard to take out loans in the future.
The first step to take if a person becomes a victim of identity theft is to contact their bank institution and put a hold on their accounts, then contact PMO and make a report they can present to their credit card companies to support their identity theft claim.
Wikel said even when a Marine or sailor goes on temporary additional duty and leaves Iwakuni, they should continue to be mindful of identity theft.
Station members can check their bank accounts and credit reports regularly through Experian.com, Equifax.com or Transunion.com as a way to combat identity theft and to keep themselves informed of any false accounts opened in their name.
Lance Cpl. Matthew Brown, an Installation Personnel Administration Center unit diary clerk with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, said he believed identity theft is detrimental to our society and the fact that we have to watch our backs for identity theft is sad.
“As Marines, we are considered brothers,” said Brown. Identity theft in the Marine Corps is a corruption of our core values, Brown added.
Station members can combat identity theft by always keeping mindful of securing documents containing their accounts, pin numbers, Social Security, credit card numbers and their date of birth.
“I want the people out there to know what they are facing,” said Wikel. “There are people that lurk and look for your personal information.”
Ellie