Base experts arm Aviano Airmen in battle against identity theft

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  With a recent surge in debit card theft and fraud within the Aviano military community, base leadership is taking steps to help those who may have fallen victim and educate others in prevention.

The rise in fraudulent activity was originally identified at Royal Air Force Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, England, a few weeks ago and has affected some members of the Aviano community.

"The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is aware of the trend and has developed a questionnaire that victims can fill out, so we (the Air Force) can take appropriate action," said Maj. Derren Burrell, 31st Comptroller Squadron commander.

The questionnaire is voluntary and should be forwarded up the individual's chain of command through first sergeants and consolidated at the group level. Groups can then forward the forms to the Aviano OSI.

Aside from reporting fraud up the chain of command, members should also notify their bank or credit card company immediately if they notice unauthorized transactions on their debit or credit card, said Mr. Keith Lear, 31st Force Support Squadron community readiness consultant.

"Always write down the name of the person at the company who you report the theft to and the date and time of the call," he said. "Victims should also file a police report as another means of continuity."

Mr. Lear said identity theft can happen at any time in a variety of ways, whether the criminal obtains the victim's personal information via the internet, through theft of credit and ID cards, or through sifting through trash cans and obtaining personal documents the person threw away as opposed to shredding them.

"Another common means of identity theft is when a person hacks into a company's database and obtains the personal information of the company's employees or their customers personal ID" said Mr. Lear. "Or when an online merchant's security measures are compromised."

The financial expert noted that identity theft most often happen by someone close to the victim, like a family member or friend or by someone living in close proximity to the individual.

"The dorms could be a good example of this," he said, "perhaps an Airman taking another Airman's military ID card, which contains both their social security number and date of birth. The important thing is to safeguard anything that contains your personal information."

Other than regularly checking your bank and credit card statements for any unusual activity, Mr. Lear suggests people obtain their three free authorized credit reports each year.

"There are three companies that offer credit reports, of which customers can get one per company, per year," he said. "My suggestion is to go through one company every four months so you can get on a regular cycle of seeing your credit history and notice any unusual activity or discrepancies."

Those individuals interested in obtaining a free credit report, can do so via the Aviano Airman and Family Readiness Center website, located at http://afrc.avianoab.info/programs-finance.html or the FTC's website; http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/resources/docs/fact_act_request_form.pdf

To help combat against identity theft, the base legal experts recommend people take the following actions: 

- Keep your computer protected. Ensure that any computer you use to access personal accounts has the most current anti-spyware, anti-virus and firewall software, and that such software is always active and updated.

- Buy a shredder for your home. Destroy credit card receipts and anything else identify thieves would like to get their hands on.

- Go digital. Sign up for electronic delivery of your credit card and other financial statements. You'll save trees, reduce clutter, and thwart mail thieves.

- Click to pay. Paying credit card and other bills electronically saves time and stamps--while also keeping your sensitive information safer.

- Use a secure mailbox. If you prefer to pay bills by snail mail, don't leave them in your home mailbox to be picked up. Instead, drop them at the post office or in a locked postal service mailbox.

- Shrug off "shoulder surfers." That's the term used to describe identify thieves who steal your PIN by watching you at the ATM. Cover the keypad with one hand while you enter your PIN with the other.

- Watch your account closely. Review your credit card statement carefully--if you see a suspicious charge, promptly report it. You can also set up free e-mail alerts to track account activity.

- Don't get scammed. Don't reply to e-mail requests for credit card or other personal information. Banks don't use e-mail to request personal information.

- Keep an eye on your credit. Take advantage of your three free credit reports a year.

Mr. Lear also recommends people take credit cards with them when traveling as opposed to debit cards if possible, due to the liability amount of theft. While the credit card liability remains at $50, the debit card liability increases from $50 to $500 if fraudulent activity isn't reported within the first 24-hours of the unauthorized activity.

"It's also a good idea to Xerox copy the front and back of any debit or credit cards you travel with and keep those copies in your luggage, this way in case of theft, you can call the companies from your hotel and have your information on hand to report it, he said.

However, Mr. Lear noted, when making copies, people should be sure and blackout the expiration date and the first five to seven numbers of the card just in case your luggage is compromised.

For additional tips to guard against credit and debit card fraud and other helpful information, click here, or visit the Federal Trade Commissions website, located at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/about-identity-theft.html.

To obtain a copy of the "Victim of Financial Crime Questionnaire," click here.