Identity Theft

Our guest speaker at the October meeting was Detective
Senior Constable Ron Sheldon from The Fraud and
Corporate Crime Group of The Queensland Police.
Rod has kindly provided a copy of his notes for us all to
study and learn from.

IDENTITY FRAUD
Dishonesty offences involving the use of a false identity

FALSE IDENTITY
Three Methods of obtaining false identity.

n The creation of a false identity.

n The alteration of one’s own identity.

n Stealing or assuming of a pre-existing identity (identity theft).

IDENTITY THEFT
The use of another’s identity whether dead or alive for dishonest purposes.
Identity Theft one of the world’s fastest growing crimes.

TYPES OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY INVOLVED WITH IDENTITY THEFT
n Skimming and counterfeiting of credit cards.
n Use of stolen credit cards or credit card numbers to obtain goods.
n Fraudulently obtaining money, loans, finance and credit.
n Fraudulently obtaining benefits, pensions, entitlements or tax returns.

COMMUNITY COSTS OF IDENTITY CRIME
Australia in 2003-2004 is estimated at $3 billion.

WHAT IT COSTS YOU!
n Loss of money from your accounts.
n Being suspected of committing a crime.
n Damage to your reputation and credit rating.
n Money and time taken to convince financial institutions and/or police that you were not responsible.

WHY IS IDENTITY CRIME OCCURRING?
n Globalisation/ Terrorism (Sept 11)
n Personal information on computers and computer hacking;
n Technologies, such as skimming devices, scanners, desktop publishing and the Internet to assist in the counterfeiting fraudulent documentation
n Growing awareness by criminals, especially organised crime,. Criminals learn from one another, and when a crime is successful, others soon catch on. ;
n Inadequate systems for establishing and authenticating identity;

HOW DOES IDENTITY THEFT OCCUR?
n Theft of a wallet containing personal identification or credit cards
n Burglary of residences and vehicles
n Credit card skimming
n Theft of mail containing personal identifying information and cards.
n “Shoulder surfing” in public places where personal information can be viewed
n Internet sources
n Public record information (Birth, Deaths, Marriages)
n Employee theft of information from the workplace
n Dumpster (Rubbish Bin) Diving
n Scamming information via the telephone, email, internet or posing as a legitimate company or government employee

TRENDS
Burglaries to obtain personal documents not other property.
Credit cards being stolen from post boxes and residential addresses.
3. Credit card skimming and counterfeiting increasing.
4. Counterfeit credit card use by organized gangs in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Far North Queensland .
5. Production of forged birth certificates, drivers licenses and utility accounts.

INDIVIDUAL PREVENTION
n Order a copy of your credit card statement regularly and check
n Place different passwords (PINs) on all your important accounts
n Secure your personal information
n Don’t carry personal information unless you have to
n Destroy personal information before disposal (use a shredder)
n Avoid giving personal information out over the telephone, by mail or the internet
n Secure your mail
n Limit the amount of credit you have in accounts
n In the event of a lost wallet, contact your bank and cancel all cards and freeze all accounts
n Beware of helpful strangers and shoulder surfers

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A VICTIM
n Immediately report matter to your financial service
n Report matter to police
n Close all unauthorised accounts opened in your name and if necessary change all your accounts

SKIMMING
n Skimming is a process whereby the data from a card's magnetic strip is electronically copied onto another card to be used without the victim's knowledge.
n Is the fastest-growing fraud in Australia.
n This fraud is often carried out in restaurants, shops and petrol stations - you hand over your card and a replica card is produced and used, sometimes on the other side of the world.
n You should treat your card like it is cash and make sure you never lose sight of it. If possible, don’t give your card to a waiter or shop assistant and let them walk out of your sight.
n Most card skimming happens at retail outlets, however, there was an incident at a bank ATM in Queen St in February 2006.