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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Classic Forums Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Women in Business Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Customer Service Advertise With Us Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map Email Story to a Friend April 17, 2007 Digital identity theft is more common than you think Chamber Forum gathers to hear about the latest techniques thieves use to steal data By GREG STILES Mail Tribune Digital identity theft is striking deeper and wider than ever before, afflicting as many as 150 million victims over the past two years — whether they know it or not. "Lots of times the victims are the last to know," Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Hoar of Eugene told a Chamber Forum gathering Monday at the Rogue Valley Country Club. Hoar scans the latest identity theft reports every morning, such as one he saw Monday in which 46,000 faculty, staff and students at the University of California-San Francisco had their Social Security numbers hacked. "The Secret Service says 70 percent of the credit card accounts in the country have been compromised," Hoar said, underscoring his point with a inch-and-a-half-thick printout of known computer hacks on file. Identity theft — the misappropriation of identity information such as name, birth date, Social Security numbers, or a financial account number — occurs in many ways. With ever-increasing reliance on electronic media to conduct financial transactions and store information, identity information is more and more accessible to criminals. Advertisement "It's only limited by the creative intelligence of the criminal," Hoar said. He queried the audience for examples of how they had been touched by identity theft. Among them were: a stolen checkbook, an insider using a credit card number produced by a traveler in Las Vegas and someone having his information taken while he was at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. Lawmen discover victim identities once they catch up to criminals, he said. Discovery is slowed because of how and where the crime takes place. Methods range from database breaches and computer intrusions, done by insiders or through vulnerable or insecure areas of computer systems, to theft of mailed pre-approved credit card solicitations, garbage or recycling material. "I wouldn't have believed that one if someone wouldn't have stolen my garbage," Hoar said. To that list, he added skimming, in which someone with an electronic device handles a victim's card for legitimate purposes, then copies the data from the card and later downloads it. Hoar said drug users who once stole stereo and electronic equipment from cars and then pawned the items now bypass the gizmos and go straight for the personal information. "It's much more convertible to cash and it's very lucrative," he said. "Rather than trying to smuggle narcotics over the border it's easier to go on line and make millions of dollars on a weekly basis." He suggested buying shredders to destroy non-essential documents bearing identity information prior to recycling, not opening e-mails from unknown senders and carefully monitoring financial correspondence as front-line defenses against the threat. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Trunks, Footlocker Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Discount Hotel Reservations Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Online Casino Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Debt Help New Hampshire Primary