Identity theft is escalating threat

More Americans are becoming victims of identity theft and a new federal initiative is designed to help to combat the crime.

The United States Senate recently passed a resolution declaring June as National Internet Safety Month in order to increase awareness of the need for online safety, especially among children and teens. LifeLock, an American identity theft protection company, is educating consumers about potential online identity theft threats.

Throughout the month, Internet safety organizations, law enforcement officials, educators, community leaders, parents and volunteers are encouraged to increase their efforts to raise the level of awareness in the U.S. regarding the dangers of the Internet, including the potential threats of identity theft.

Individuals and groups involved are also encouraged to raise awareness of the need for online safety by providing information and training that develops the critical thinking and decision making skills needed to be safe online.

According to Tami Nealy, the senior director of public affairs for LifeLock and a certified identity theft risk management specialist, an estimated 11 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2009.

"We live in a digital age," she said. "There are so many different types of scams out there."

One of those scams, called phishing, involves an identity thief posing as another person's trusted source such as a bank or credit card company in order to obtain his or her personal information via e-mail or instant messaging. This type of scam can usually be avoided since most banks and credit card companies contact their customers by postal mail, Nealy said.

Other scams involve the use of peer-to-peer networks and file sharing programs that can put a person's personal information at risk to identity thieves on social networking websites such as Facebook. Many people put their address, full birthdate, and even cell phone numbers on their Facebook page, which is unnecessary and risky, Nealy said.

With peer-to-peer networks and file-sharing, Nealy said a person's computer only needs to be turned on in order for identity thieves to have access to the person's computer hard drive -- which may contain personal information and critical documents -- and expose the contents to others on the network.

Nealy said young people need to be especially aware of the dangers involved with social networking.

"Minors are at risk because identity thieves can get employment on information from minors," she said. "It's summer time so kids spend more time online. They just need to be leery about what information they're putting out there."

While there is no fail-safe way of protecting against identity theft, people can better avoid becoming victims of the crime by following a few simple tips; being careful using file-sharing networks, contacting a credit bureau about periodic fraud alerts, and limiting where and with whom personal information is given out, Nealy said.

"People are accessing information and then selling it on a black market website," she said. "Anything put out there has the potential to be accessed by anyone."

With online and peer-to-peer identity theft reaching new heights in 2009, and more than 336,000 complaints filed with an associated dollar loss totaling $559 million according to the FBI in conjunction with the National White Collar Crime Center, it is critical that this June education regarding online safety and security be considered a priority, according to a news release.