Monroe County Sheriff’s Office warns residents of rising identity theft scams, tactics
With identity theft at an all-time high, it's easier than ever to be the victim of a scam. While phone, email and social media scams are common, it's still important for you to protect your personal documents.
FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – With identity theft at an all-time high, it’s easier than ever to be the victim of a scam. While phone, email and social media scams are common, it’s still important for you to protect your personal documents.
That’s why the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office wants you to stay on the lookout for scams of all kinds after residents were recently targeted for identity theft.
According to Sheriff Brad Freeman, the sheriff’s office receives at least one report of scams every day.
“These criminals are always trying to think of some unique ways to make money, and some are better than others,” Sheriff Freeman said.
The warning comes after an investigation into scam reports led to the arrest of a woman who used personal information to register fraudulent bank cards and open accounts with Verizon.
Although scammers have several ways they can steal your data, Sheriff Freeman says this woman did it the old fashioned way.
“A lot of time, it’s mail theft,” he explained. “People will steal something in the mail or they’ll pilfer through trash or something like that to get some identifying information and then try to set up an account in your name.”
Sheriff Freeman says the best way to protect sensitive documents from scammers is to shred them, and if you see someone going through your mail, report it to the police.
According to Vice President of Development for the Better Business Bureau of Central Georgia Jason Blankenship, only 26% of scams get reported.
He says it’s easy for scammers to not get caught because they’re assuming the identity of someone else.
“You’re trying to be the most honest version of yourself, and you’ve racked up all these bills that you didn’t receive any benefit from,” Blankenship explained.
That’s why Blankenship says it’s important to regularly check your bank accounts and credit history and to report any suspicious activity to your financial institution.
He recommends never mailing sensitive information from your home address, because it can be accessed easily online.
“A lot of times we think of identity theft, we think computers, just a world away,” Blankenship said. “And here we see it’s at the end of your driveway.”
If you think you’ve been the victim of identity theft, the first thing you should do is file a report with local law enforcement so the scam can be documented and investigated further.
Blankenship also recommends reporting scams through the Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker or through the Federal Trade Commission. You can also stay up to date on your credit history without impacting your credit score by visiting annualcreditreport.com.
