Police chief advises how to avoid being scammed

RED OAK – Identity theft is no joke.

Last week’s “Identity Theft Awareness Week” was one tool allowing cities like Red Oak to remind residents how to avoid the headache of getting scammed.

Red Oak Police Chief Garland Wolf said, “Never take your credit for granted. Identity theft is a crime that covers a wide scope.

“It’s actually one of the most complex crimes to talk about because there’s a massive number of things that can cause it. 

“It also doesn’t end the same way for every victim. If someone has stolen your identity, they could use it for a number of things like insurance fraud, tax fraud, loan fraud, and so on.”

Wolf advises everyone to be vigilant about checking their credit information regularly.  

“Your vigilance must become habitual. If you want to protect your identity, you have to consider making serious lifestyle changes.” 

In 2021, there were more than 1.4 million reports of identity theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission. 

Identity theft has also increased over the past few years.

Wolf said, “Knowing what methods fraudsters use and how to spot them can help you avoid becoming a victim.”

He mentioned “phishing, smishing and vishing” as three ways a scammer might contact you in an attempt to gather personal information about you and carry out identity fraud. 

Wolf explained these and other methods of identity fraud use a person’s personal data or financial accounts to steal money, receive loans or services or to commit other crimes. 

Another popular identity theft includes credit card skimmers and shimmers.

Wolf said, “While we are not seeing very many of these in Red Oak, Ellis County as a whole has seen more of these types of identity theft over the last few years.” 

He suggests everyone subscribe to an on-line monitoring service such as LifeLock, ID Shield, Identity IQ or similar credit monitoring services.

OTHER WAYS TO STAY OUT OF AN IDENTITY THEFT SITUATION:

• Freeze your credit

• Be alert to phishing and spoofing

• Use strong passwords and add an authentication step

• Use alerts

• Watch your mailbox

• Shred, shred, shred

• Use a digital wallet

• Protect your mobile devices

• Check your credit reports regularly

• Monitor financial and medical statements

• Overall, protect your information by staying vigilant and monitoring your accounts regularly