ID theft has become everyone”s problem

Local banking officials estimate that $2.6 million is being lost by Spokane County businesses to phony, forged, stolen and otherwise bad checks and credit cards — each month. Do I now have your attention? Good. Because if you don’t think that kind of loss hits your pocket, then you’re fooling yourself.

Some of the major problems regarding identification theft involve checks made on laser printers. It’s easy to buy paper stock for checks at an office supply store, then use someone’s individual or business bank account number to produce fraudulent checks. That’s why many local merchants no longer will cash payroll checks.

Fraudulent cashier’s checks also continue to plague businesses, and phony travelers checks are not far behind.

Are we actually headed to a time when business owners refuse to accept any checks whatsoever?

Even the head of security for MasterCard International has been the victim of credit card theft. According to The Wall Street Journal, Sergio Pinon’s MasterCard number with all related security information, like his mother’s maiden name, his date of birth and other facts, ended up in the hands of a thief.

There are a number of issues that drive the problem of identity theft.

At least 80 percent of all such theft is meth-related, according to Spokane Sheriff Mark Sterk. In addition, the majority of property crimes in our area are paying for someone’s meth habit.

Also, merchants aren’t guarding personal information like they should. Businesses large and small are guilty of not taking care of the data they collect about their customers digitally or in paper form.

Individuals are careless with their possessions and information. Anyone who still tucks a check into their mailbox and puts up the red flag, blissfully waiting for the mail pick-up, might as well just hand a book of checks to thieves.

People are still leaving too much in their cars. In one case, a young woman left her purse in the car and in that purse were her checkbook and a check that her mother had written to her. Two separate bank accounts were breached in one break-in.

But banks and law enforcement need to be partners in the fight against ID theft, but merchants complain about banks that won’t verify over the phone current information on customer accounts; telephone systems that are so difficult to use that they literally give up; and law enforcement agencies that are too swamped to investigate this growing problem.

Sen. Maria Cantwell has pulled together a task force of law enforcement and business representatives, drug abuse experts, mental health professionals and prosecutors to create a multi-layered attack on the problems of meth addiction and ID theft.

As part of this group, I’ve come to understand that this is a widespread community problem. Yet I also have the feeling that most people have no idea just how invasive the problem is.

Meth is increasingly being exported from Mexico rather than being produced locally. Among users, most of their habit is financed by ID theft. Treatment is difficult to find, and after-school programs are being cut. Summer creates a vulnerable environment for young people out of school, and fertile ground for recruitment of new gang members.

The days are over of citizens shying away, demanding that government, law enforcement or some social service agency take care of the problem. We continue to demand more, and yet we are willing to pay for less and less. If we want this problem fixed, we must be part of the solution. How?

On May 20th, in conjunction with Small Business Month celebrations, the BBB will present a free ID theft forum for small businesses. Topics will include pre-screening of potential employees; shredding; protecting your computers; and data-collecting do’s and don’ts. The issue now is not what ID theft is. Everybody knows something about ID theft by now. What we can do, now that we know, is the focus of this forum.

What else can be done? Get involved in your neighborhood, with a trade association and with your community. Ask what you can do to help, don’t simply sit back and demand answers.