Senator Morahan Holds Press Conference On The Growing Problem Of Id Theft In Rockland County

Senator ThomasMorahanannounced that identity theft is not only the fastest growing financial crime in the country, but, as a result of information the Senator recently secured from the Rockland County Intelligence Center (RCIC), Rockland County may soon rank as one of the top identity theft locations in New York State.

The Senator noted that ID theft crime statistics are maintained by local police departments throughout Rockland. However, when the Senator Morahan recently asked RCIC to research the total number of ID crimes in Rockland County this year, he was shocked, when Lt. John Schnitker, Supervisor of RCIC (a unit whose mission is to develop and disseminate intelligence between law enforcement agencies) presented to him the magnitude of the ID theft problem.

While the latest data on ID theft in NYS cities is not fully available, Senator Morahan indicated that based on 2004 data reported from three major NYS cities, Rocklanders have good reason to be alarmed about ID theft.

"In Syracuse there were 113 ID thefts reported; in Yonkers, 195 cases were reported; and in Buffalo, 232 people last year reported they were victims of ID theft. Having just learned that this year 361 cases of identity theft were reported in Rockland, I am very concerned," noted the Senator.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, which tracks identity theft, more than 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2004 costing more than $52 billion. New York State had the third highest number of reported cases of identity theft last year.

Senator Morahan made his announcement at a press conference, where he was joinedby Clarkstown Police Chief Peter Noonan, whodiscussed the growing problem of ID Theft from a law enforcement perspective.

The Senator cautioned all New Yorkers to be vigilant with respect to protecting their private information, noting that all age groups are impacted by ID theft.

In 2004:

At the press conference current and pending state legislation dealing with identity theft will be discussed including:

Ÿ Information and Security Breach and Notification Act- which requires New York State businesses which own or license computer data that includes private information to disclose any breach of the security of the system to any resident of NY whose private information was acquired.

Ÿ Personal Information Destruction Act- which requires any medical business, tax preparation business, or other business to properly dispose of records containing personal information by shredding, destruction , modification or other means to ensure that no unauthorized person will have access to the personal information.

Ÿ Spyware Act - which recently passed the New York State Senate. It prohibits a person who is not authorized to use a computer from copying software onto a consumer's computer which damages the system or the information contained thereon.

Chief Noonan will provide an update on the impact of ID theft in the Clarkstown area, and offer suggestions to individuals on ways of protecting their privacy. Among the tips:

Ÿ Protect your Social Security Number. It’s all a criminal needs to steal your identity.

ŸShred unneeded financial documents before disposing of them.

ŸDon’t provide personal information to merchants or store clerks that isn’t required.

ŸProtect store receipts containing credit card information.

ŸReview you credit report after the shopping season to quickly identify problems.

Senator Morahan particularly reminds online shoppers to be on guard.

"Only use secure web sites and browsers - those with "htttps" in the web address - should be trusted, computer passwords should be protected, and "spam" should never be replied to, since it tells the sender that your e-mail address is active and will encourage more fraudulent offers in the future," he said.

Victims of identity theft should contact their local police department and three major credit bureau fraud hotlines:

Victims should also call the Federal Trade Commission at (877) ID-THEFT and request a copy of the FTC ID Theft Affidavit form.

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