Sheriffs warn about rash of identity theft
By Heather Milo
Acorn Staff Writer

PROTECT YOURSELF - Above, an old-style box is signaling burglars that mail is ready for the taking. To right is a locking mailbox that will thwart identity thieves.

Last year, it was the fear that anthrax might lurk in the mailbox. Now the problem is what is illegally coming out of those same mailboxes.

According to sheriff’s department spokespersons, some Thousand Oaks residents are falling victim to mail theft. Police say unknown suspects are removing outgoing mail from curbside mailboxes and stealing bills so that they may obtain credit card account information, checking account numbers and other personal information to commit identity theft, as well as check and credit card fraud.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Senior Deputy Larry Logan said apartment cluster mailboxes are especially vulnerable. He also warned residents to not place outgoing mail in curbside mailboxes.

Logan recommends a curbside mailbox that can be locked, one that has a single drop slot in a large box. The drawback to this style mailbox is that a postal worker can only deliver mail, and not pick up outgoing mail, but according to Logan, it isn’t safe to place outgoing mail in a private box.

LISA ADAMS/T.O. Acorn

"Everyday, somebody’s going up and down the street, looking in mailboxes," Logan said. He said that when residents put mail in an unlocked, curbside mailbox, and put up the red flag to signal postal workers, it sends the same signal to burglars: that your mail is ready to be taken.

Outgoing mail often has items such as endorsed checks and completed credit card applications. A person’s identity can be stolen simply by taking one of these pieces of mail, since they usually contain social security number, address, date of birth and other vital information. Checks hold bank account numbers and can be forged.

"It’s a very, very serious problem," he said. According to Logan, the Thousand Oaks station receives between 30 and 40 complaints of mail theft each month.

He said that common practices such as having a bank mail a new box of checks is dangerous, as criminals then have the chance to obtain a full box of blank checks, ready to be forged. Logan recommends calling the bank and having them hold checks until they can be picked up.

He also highly recommends a crosscut shredder. "Use it. Wear that thing out!" A crosscut shredder cuts paper into confetti rather than into individual strips.

"This is ongoing in other districts. The days of the convenience of having the postman pick up your mail is over," he said.

Logan said that a person even needs to be careful of the drop boxes outside the post office if they are full. Logan recalled going to drop off mail at one such site, only to find the box had not been emptied, and that he could reach in the top and pull out letters from the overflow.

Residents are encouraged to be vigilant, and note any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. Pick up incoming mail as soon as possible, he said, and don’t leave outgoing mail in residential, curbside receptacles.

Outgoing mail should be hand delivered to the post office. Residents should also check their credit histories via Equifax (www.creditequifax.com, or to order a report: 800-685-1111), Experian (www.experian.com/consumer, or to order a report: 888-397-3742) and Trans Union (www.tuc.com, or to order a report: 800-916-8800), twice a year to ensure that their financial information is not being used to commit fraud.

"Once someone steals your identity, they have it forever," said Logan. "It takes months and months of letter writing to straighten it out [each time there is a problem]."

Thieves’ methods include dumpster diving and "shoulder surfing," where a thief can simply pretend to be writing out his own check while he’s actually writing down all the information from another person’s open checkbook while standing behind that person. Logan stressed that a person only needs a name printed on a check, and no other information.

He also recommends not carrying a social security card, nor anything with the social security number as an ID number, such as a medical insurance card. Logan scratched the number of his insurance card as it contained his social security number. "If someone asks for your social security number, ask them why."

The Police Department said in a recent media release that even relatively unsophisticated street-level criminals can take advantage of victim’s financial information, and that this type of crime is no longer limited to so-called "white-collar" criminals. People raid mailboxes in order to sell the information, Logan said.

Logan gives talks on preventative measures to avoid identity theft. He also has a test to see if a person is at risk for identity theft. For more information on this and other safeguard tips, call Logan at (805) 494-8267.

Anyone with information about these incidents or questions about fraud or identity theft is encouraged to call the sheriff’s department’s East County Investigations Bureau at (805) 494-8201.