Above: A driver’s license and Social Security number are the only two pieces of information an identity thief needs to assume a reservist’s identity.

Identity theft. It’s become a tip of-the-tongue phrase to the most conscientious among us, and a nightmare to an alarming number of people whose lives have been turned upside down by the deeds of identity thieves. For three years running, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports identity theft has been the top-reported fraud complaint in the United States, and the problem appears to be worsening.

Identity theft happens when a thief steals an unsuspecting person’s Social Security number and other personal information and then uses that information to open bank accounts, apply for loans, obtain credit cards, start mobile phone accounts, and purchase vehicles, for instance, all under the unsuspecting person’s identity. Bills for these items go to a fake address provided by the perpetrator so that the victim has no idea that his or her identity has been stolen. The thief then uses the credit cards or services without paying, ruining the victim’s credit rating as agencies seek to collect the unpaid debt. Significant financial loss, ruined credit ratings, and families being destroyed can result.

Among those who have become most susceptible to this crime: guardsmen and reservists.

“Almost everyone should be concerned about identity theft since it can expose the innocent to serious criminal and civil liabilities. However, the reservist has even more reason to be aware of being a possible victim,” said Col. Brent Evans, Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command Deputy Staff Judge Advocate at Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Ga. “Conceivably, military members are at higher risk since they face the same risk as civilians do from those who seek material gain, but in addition, in this age of asymmetric warfare and terrorism, what better way to disturb a military member than to disrupt the personal and family life?”

Easier Targets?
One significant way in which service members could be susceptible to identity theft is through the ready access many would-be thieves may have to service members’ Social Security number and personal information. Specifically, the Department of Defense Form 214 (DD 214) — the official document that guardsmen and reservists receive upon separating from active duty that reflects their active duty military service — contains personal information including the service member’s Social Security number, date of birth, and place of birth. It is the service member’s key to participation in all Veterans Administration programs, as well as some state and federal programs. In the past until just recently, service members were advised to file a certifiable “true copy” of the form with their county courthouse.

“Once the DD 214 is filed at a local county courthouse, however, it becomes a public record,” said Deborah Snider, Transition Center personnel analyst at the U.S. Total Army Personnel Command. This has created a sticky situation for veterans as well as guardsmen and reservists who have completed some active duty time, because most states classify the DD 214 as a public record available to everyone. And once a service member’s personal information is a matter of public record, he or she is vulnerable to identity thieves, who need only steal the personal information contained on the DD 214 to obtain credit cards and take out loans, for instance, all in the service member’s name.

Compounding the problem is the fact that more and more public documents are being made available on the Internet. In one case of discovered identity theft related to a former military service member, an identity thief attempted to cash a check for $9,000 made out to an unknown person, in the former service member’s name. Upon investigating the thief, authorities discovered thousands of former service members’ names and Social Security numbers stored in the thief’s laptop computer. The common link found to all the names was that their DD 214s were on file with county clerks.

Ignore the Old Recommendation
It costs the average victim more than $1,000 of time, phone calls, and letters to cope with the damage from identity theft as the victim tries, sometimes for years, to get the resulting bad credit rating expunged from his or her credit record. To protect against identity theft, service members are now being told to ignore the old recommendation to file their DD 214 with their local county courthouse. Instead, soldiers should safeguard their DD 214 as they would any other personal document by storing it, along with certified photocopies, in a safety deposit box, or another safe, fireproof place. As an added tip, service members are encouraged to ensure that their next of kin knows where the keys and combinations are located. Reservists need to safeguard their information to prevent identity thieves from targeting them.

Beyond DD 214: More Safeguards
Prevention is the best way to deter identity thieves, who were responsible for hundreds of thousands of reported cases of identity theft in 2002. There are a number of tips various organizations offer to help preclude people from being victimized:

• Promptly remove mail from your mailbox so that your personal information isn’t accessible to a lurking identity thief.
• Be cautious about giving out personal information, especially online. Never give out your Social Security number to anyone unless they have a good reason for needing it. Beware of eavesdroppers.
• Minimize the number of credit and identification cards that you carry. Secure the rest of your cards in a lockbox at home. Do not carry your Social Security card with you. One of the most common ways identity thieves obtain personal information is by stealing a person’s wallet or purse.
• Shred pre-approved credit card applications, credit card receipts, bills and other financial information. Identity thieves are known to look through garbage for personal information that can be stolen.
• Order copies of your credit report annually from one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion or Experian) and check them for inaccuracies or fraudulent use. Equifax may be reached at 1 800-525-6285, Trans Union at 1-800-680-7289, and Experian at 1-888-397-3742. The earlier you recognize you have been the victim of identity theft, the easier it will be to correct the problem.

Special Assistance to Service Members
The FTC and the Department of Defense (DoD) recently introduced “Military Sentinel,” a program that allows service members to enter consumer complaints directly into a database, which is immediately accessible by 630 law enforcement organizations throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. These law enforcement agencies then use complaint data to target cases for prosecution and other enforcement measures. Additionally, the Judge Advocate General and DoD can access the information in the database to help protect armed services members and their families from consumer protection related problems. To file a complaint, go to http://www.consumer.gov/military, click on your service seal and follow the directions.