Expert offers his advice on ID theft

FROM THE TRI-VALLEY HERALD

Most people know to avoid e-mails offering millions of dollars in exchange for a transfer fee, that it's impossible to win a lottery for which they never applied and to hang up on phone calls asking for money for a charity.

Those are called scams, identity theft consultant Mike Prusinski said, because they have spread to the point that many people know about it.

Prusinski's job, as vice president and spokesman for ID theft prevention company LifeLock, is to warn people that they can become victims even if they do nothing.

"There is no sure-fire way to stop identity thieves," he said. "You can't stop anybody from stealing your wallet, purse or whatever. But you can put tools in place to stop people from using your personal information."

LifeLock was founded in 2005 in Arizona and has 560,000 clients throughout the country. But people who want to protect their privacy don't have to pay the monthly fee for the company's services — they can do everything themselves for less.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, ID theft has been the fastest-growing crime nationwide in the last seven years. In 2006, the commission ranked California third in the country in terms of victims per 100,000 residents.

"It's still a huge problem and criminals are very smart," Prusinski said. "They are always finding new ways to get your information."

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