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The last thing that hurricane
Katrina survivors and evacuees should have to be concerned about is the possibility
that someone is stealing the only thing they have left: their identity.
However, thieves and scam artists are viewing this
natural disaster as an opportunity to prey on the misfortunes of victims who may
have left behind important documents such as birth certificates and Social Security
cards. The three credit bureaus are currently discussing emergency
measures to protect Katrina victims from identity thieves. Although they currently
have no plan in place, representatives from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax say
they are building emergency-response plans for both businesses and consumers because
of this catastrophic event. David Rubinger, vice president of
communications for Equifax, suggests that if feasible, victims should place a
fraud alert on their credit report. But Betsy Broder, attorney
for the Federal Trade Commission's identity theft program, says placing a fraud
alert on your report will indicate to creditors that there is a possible problem
with your credit and, therefore, it will be harder to obtain credit. "People
need to consider how great the risk of ID theft is and whether they will be seeking
credit," says Broder. Evan Hendricks, editor of Privacy
Times, a newsletter covering privacy and freedom of information law and policy,
says there is a need for massive consumer education at evacuation centers. "People
will need to apply for credit, and these credit agencies should start monitoring
hurricane victims' credit reports and patterns now. This is inexcusable in the
age of ID theft," says Hendricks. Although ID theft is
a heightened threat for Katrina victims, Broder suggests that consumers remain
vigilant about reviewing accounts and credit reports when their situations return
to normal. "Most people will not see activity on their
credit reports for at least 30 days," says Broder. "However, once they
can get a free copy of their report, examine it very carefully to make sure all
information is correct. "As far as immediate action,
there is not much else you can do unless you can secure all of your important
documents like your house deed, birth certificate, Social Security card, driver's
license, tax, medical and employment records." Mark Durham, communications
director with www.identitytheft911.com,
recommends that Katrina survivors with access to their belongings try to safeguard
or destroy documents that contain sensitive information. "As
they work with insurance reps, government workers and relief organizations, people
should avoid providing personal data unless they're sure the person they are dealing
with represents a legitimate organization," says Durham. Hendricks
says, "Understandably, most people aren't thinking about this right now,
but they need to." He suggests that people whose important
documents were destroyed in the hurricane start reconstructing their identity
by asking the Internal Revenue Service
for a copy of their tax records from the last three years. Hendricks
also suggests calling your credit card company and taking advantage of online
account management to start rebuilding your filing system. Other recommendations
include establishing a trustworthy address somewhere away from the destruction
to get important mail. Be sure to let banks, credit card companies
and others know the address is legitimate. If you feel that
your information has been misused, the Federal Trade Commission wants to know
about it. You can go onto the FTC Web
site and fill out an online complaint. "That complaint goes into a restricted
law enforcement database where offenders will be prosecuted," says Broder.
Credit card fraud monitoring
Because of the abnormal circumstances surrounding the victims of Hurricane Katrina,
credit card monitoring systems are taking a very liberal approach to the potential
for fraud. | 
