Identity Theft and the Military: U.S. Service People are Prime Targets
As happens each year, this Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11, 2008) the United States honors those who have proudly served their country. But there is an insidious faction that looks at the military in an entirely different way: as potential targets for fraud, scams and identity theft.
Find out why the military is the latest target for identity related crimes, and what’s being done about this growing problem.
Targeting the Military
With most professional and medical records now kept on computers and with the preponderance of file-swapping for legitimate purposes, ID fraud is easier than ever for criminals. Networked files in particular are at risk.
But it’s not just the internet that allows criminals to access a military service person’s private information. Since 1969, social security numbers have been used as identification on military records, duffel bags, dog tags and in some cases, even clothing. And once a criminal has your social security number, he’s off and running on a spending spree, taking out fraudulent loans…and ruining your credit.
How it Happens
Officials note that a prime target for identity theft is the currently deployed soldier. Savvy ID thieves know such individuals may not view their own credit reports for a year or even more and take advantage of this lag time, say U.S. Army spokespeople.
In addition, a percentage of military personnel receive an influx of credit card offers which can easily be intercepted and used to the ID thief’s advantage.
Other criminal methods include computer hacking long-distance, and estranged family members who have information on when the victim will be deployed, giving them a window during which to strike.
A Thief’s Way In
Even military personnel who have already been taking steps to protect themselves were in for a shock when, in May 2006, a Veterans Affairs employee in Maryland admitted to routinely taking home his laptop, holding the encrypted data of more than 26 million people. The admission came after his house was burglarized, including the computer.
Veterans Affairs announced a month later that the personal information of more than 50,000 individuals on active duty were included in the stolen information. Though the laptop computer was eventually found, this was far from the first such instance, according to Washington, DC-based EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center).
Fighting Back
There is help to combat ID theft in the military, experts say. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Defense began truncating ID numbers of its personnel by dropping the last five digits, according to a report from www.army.mil. And eventually every soldier will be issued a new number under the Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System, the report added.
Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that an individual who will be deployed from his or her usual station can place an “active duty alert” as a key ID fraud preventive measure. Placed on the individual’s credit report, the active duty alert requires certain verification steps before credit can be issued.
And USA Today reported last year that ID security company Lifelock can provide free services to military personnel in Iraq or Afghanistan during the time they are deployed there.
FTC Recommendations for Keeping Your ID Safe
Other steps include such commonsense measures as shredding identifying documents when they’re no longer needed, never loaning out credit cards and avoiding passwords that may easily be uncovered (such as one’s maiden name, street name or other identifying information).
Taking a few simple steps can go a long way toward protecting one’s information–and teaching criminals that the old saying is true: You really don’t mess with the U.S. military.
For anti-ID theft information, see www.ftc.gov, as well as this page dedicated to issuing an active duty alert and other recommendations.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:39 am
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