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Community Corner

Has Your Identity Been Stolen?

An estimated 13 million Americans fell victim to identity theft last year, according to an expert panel in Palo Alto.

Identity theft is rampant in the United States.

The Federal Trade Commission received 1.8 million complaints last calendar year. In the last three years, an estimated 13 million Americans fell victim to identity theft, and seven percent of all American households were targeted.

That figure is greater than the sum of all reported burglaries, attempted burglaries, purse snatchings, pick-pocketings, auto thefts, vehicle thefts, arsons, and shopliftings. Moreover, as Sergeant James Reifschneider conveyed, the number only reflects reported instances of identity theft: "The numbers, as huge as they are, probably don't capture the true scope of the problem."

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Such was part of the message at a panel of four experts—hosted by Supervisor Liz Kniss and Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen—in downtown Palo Alto Thursday.

The other takeaway: identity theft is preventable. The first panelist, Neil O'Farrell, called it "a devastating crime."

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"It changes your life, it destroys your trust," he said, then tempered his words. "The best news is that it's an extremely easy crime to avoid and prepare for if you just take it a bit more seriously."

90 people were in attendance, mostly older folks—a group highly targeted by identity thieves. Another susceptible group includes Palo Altans themselves. As an affluent community, identity thieves have the most to gain by targeting residents here.

What form does identity theft take? Often its symptoms are as simple as charges to one's credit where none was intended or authorized. Identity theft from credit cards in Palo Alto specifically rose from 73 to 100 reported cases from 2010 to 2011.

Mail theft, a "low tech" method, is not uncommon. Pre-authorized credit card offers, convenience checks and bills are a boon to mail thieves. Fortunately, the solution is straightforward: Have your mail delivered to an internal box rather than leaving it yards from your front door. Shredding sensitive documents was also suggested as a worthwhile precaution.

The greatest tool in the fight against identity theft, said Mr. O'Farrell, is "what's right between your ears... your own vigilance, your own awareness, your own commitment to protect yourself."

By wielding it, and by raising awareness through such panels, the quiet crime's explosive growth may perhaps be stayed and reversed.

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