Last modified: Saturday, August 16, 2008 10:23 PM PDT Police caution about identity theft By Katie Pizza Argus Observer Ontario — Local law enforcement agencies are working to get the word out about identity theft — a danger that lurks within the confines of an unattended purse, in the voice of a shady telemarketer or in a crumpled bank statement carelessly thrown away. “It’s very prevalent,” Malheur County Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said. Wolfe said the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office receives reports of identity theft almost weekly, and the scammers who call unsuspecting residents to attempt to gain personal information will often prey on a false sense of security. “People will say, ‘this guy sounds pretty credible on the phone,’ and they will take advantage of that,” he said. However, one Ontario resident wasn’t fooled when her caller ID showed an unlisted number Thursday. “This guy got on the phone,” Doris Egan said. “(He’s) really snotty. Goes into this spiel that this card is going to be sent to me, and if I don’t get the information I’ll lose my Social Security benefits. He wanted to know all my information, including my bank.” Egan became suspicious and asked why he needed this data and was told it was to verify her identity for a new Social Security debit card. She said she asked the caller for his name, which he refused, causing her to hang up. After he called back, asking for her information again, she went to her bank and was told as long as she didn’t give the account numbers, the scammer would not be able to access her account. Egan also said she spoke to the local Social Security office and was told new debit cards are being mailed just not to this area. Finally, she went to the police. “He kept telling me I’d lose everything,” Egan said of the caller. “I don’t see how. I paid into it.” OPD Capt. Mark Alexander said another phone scam involves the caller posing as a bank employee. “There will be ruse calls made pretending to be your bank, and they’ll have you rattle off your bank account number or Social Security number,” he said. “Your bank has your financial information. They will not solicit that over the phone.” Egan said she was concerned for elderly residents who may give the scammer information simply because they enjoy hearing a voice on the other side of the line. “They’re just lonely,” she said. Alexander said some scammers opt to go a little more low-tech, such as stealing personal checks mailed from banks. The Federal Trade Commission recommends picking up checks from the bank itself rather than having them mailed. Alexander also says scammers use a technique the FTC calls “dumpster diving,” in which the scammer rifles a person’s garbage looking for personal information. Alexander said people can take a number of steps to limit access to important data. “Shred anything that has personal information on it,” he said. Wolfe said blacking out the information with a permanent marker is also an option. “I don’t care who you are, you need to take precautions,” Wolfe said.   Alexander said these precautions should include keeping an eye on personal belongings when out in public. “I see it all the time, ladies leave their purses in a shopping cart,” he said. “You just have to be distracted for a second, and that purse is gone. The thing to do is to put it under your arm and keep control of your purse.” Alexander said the best identity theft prevention is to “protect it from being stolen in the first place.”   Identity theft made headlines last month when two residents pleaded guilty in an Idaho court after stealing names, birth dates and Social Security numbers from more than 200 local cellular phone applications last February. Police assert Chad Nathaniel Butherus, 27, and Jamie Ann Gregory, 26, stole applications from Wireless FX, situated at 361 S.W. 12th St., in Ontario, and created more than 50 fake IDs, which resembled official cards from both North Dakota and Delaware. “Jamie previously had been employed there,” Alexander said. The pair also used information contained in these applications to obtain credit cards to make purchases using the victim’s credit. The final amount of transactions outlined in the plea agreement totaled approximately $28,000. According to the plea agreement, Gregory and Butherus committed the thefts in order to buy drugs. The FTC recommends people concerned they may become one of the 8.3 million American identity theft victims should monitor bank statements and credit reports for purchases they did not make. If a discrepancy is discovered, the FTC said, a victim should place a fraud alert on their credit report and close any accounts they believe may have been tampered with. They should also file a complaint with the FTC and a report with local police. The copies of this police report can then be used to counter fraudulent charges with debt collection agencies.