44.493 Issues in Criminal Justice Technology & Security

home > Unit 11: cybercrime

Identity theft

What are techniques to combat it? (continued)

• Don't:
  • Lend your card(s) to anyone.
  • Leave cards or receipts lying around.
  • Sign a blank receipt. When you sign a receipt, draw a line through any blank spaces above the total.
  • Write your account number on a postcard or the outside of an envelope.
  • Give out your account number over the phone unless you're making the call to a company you know is reputable. If you have questions about a company, check it out with your local consumer protection office or Better Business Bureau.
• California passed a law in 2003 that requires companies whose data may have been stolen to notify their customers -- Congress is considering a national equivalent
• Anti-phishing Working Group maintains a running list of phishing schemes
• Highly likely, because of so many incidents and level of public and corporate outrage, that Congress will pass identity-theft legislation this session.
• Biometrics may be the best way to solve it, perhaps in conjunction with a national id card.

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