Identity theft: Don't let it happen to you

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  • By 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Airmen, civilians and contractors stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base have been accustomed to a 100 percent shred policy for nearly four years. They must complete yearly Information Assurance training and are reminded weekly to safeguard personal information in the office, on social media websites and even at home.

Yet, according to the United States Department of Justice, seven percent of households in the United States has had at least one member over the age of 12 be a victim of identity theft.

For Staff Sgt. Breyson Robinson, 341st Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen dormitory leader, he experienced the closest thing to identity theft after applying for a car-loan application in Great Falls two months ago.

"On Jan. 16, I got a message from my wife saying that a man called her saying they were investigating me and they had my social security number and my phone number," Robinson said. "I called the man back and he claimed to work for Jeff Morgan [and Associates] and said they were pressing criminal charges against me in the amount of $10,000. When I asked him what crime I committed, he didn't know and only said he would have to ask the judge. He then said if I settled today I would only have to pay $1,500. After I refused, he made threats, asked for my card number, expiration date, security code and threatened to sue me immediately."

After the initial phone call, Robinson went to his NCO in charge, superintendent and Malmstrom's Office of Special Investigations.

"What happened to this individual is actually becoming quite common," said OSI Agent Jared Bonvell. "It is called a phishing scam. In this case, it is a very well developed one. In many of these cases the individual attempting to gain information from you already has some of your personal information. This personal information could be in the form of addresses, credit card numbers, partial social security numbers, telephone numbers, emails, family member names, etc."

"Anytime someone call yours or your spouse, and asks for credit card or bank information, alarm bells should go off immediately," said Conn McKelvey, 341st Operations Support Squadron unit security manager. "Pressing 'criminal charges' cannot be settled without a plea agreement. If someone calls and says they are pressing criminal charges, then you have the right to an attorney and should call one immediately, as well as your supervisor, commander, OSI and the police."

Although Robinson notified the proper authorities to swiftly fix his vulnerability, his financial and personal information will always have to be monitored.

"After the incident, I had to get a new credit card with a new number, I had to contact my bank and request that all charges from out of the local area be called into me," Robinson said. "Also, I had to contact Equifax, as suggested by OSI, and get the same protection on my social security number. If anyone views my social security number, I will be notified. The best advice I have for anyone is to be careful what you post online on social media website and go to credible car dealerships. Make sure you ask what banks will be receiving your information when you apply for loans. Also, if you do get a call from scammers, be straight to the point and direct with them. They will be loud, angry, threaten to call the authorities, tell you that your job is in jeopardy and many other things. Don't give out any more information than they already know. The more people that know about the 'Jeff Morgan' scam, the better."

"Operations Security is a mindset that involves using good common sense to protect critical information at work," McKelvey said. "Everyone should apply the same principles at home to protect themselves. Military members are held to a higher standard and can be easy targets as a result."

McKelvey, as well as Airman and Family Readiness and OSI members provided the following tips to avoid identity theft, phishing and pharming:

Social Media and the internet
· Research all of the security features of a social network site and use them. According to a study by Javelin Strategy and Research, people who have public profiles were more likely to expose personal information such as birthday information, high school name and phone number
· Use social media only to socialize with people you know in real life, such as family, co-workers and friends
· Be suspicious of anyone contacting you or your family for personal information who you've never met
· Don't fall for the 'How to win an IPad' advertisements. Clicking on these ads will prompt you to provide credit card information
· Use passwords for all computing devices including phones and mobile devices
· Shop online only at mainstream websites such as Amazon or larger companies. Small companies may be scams or may not have the network security you would expect

Financial information
· Never give out your credit card or bank information to someone you do not know or did not solicit yourself
· If someone calls and says they are pressing criminal charges, they have to read you your rights and offer to access to your own lawyer. By offering you an option to "buy" your way out of it, they are extorting you for cash to protect your reputation
· Equifax and USAA offer identity protection insurance

For more information regarding current scam alerts in Montana, visit https://doj.mt.gov/consumer/scam-alerts/.

For information regarding phishing and pharming, call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 731-4900.

Information in this story was taken from the following websites:

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2207

https://www.javelinstrategy.com/brochure/239