Personal Data—

Police Urge Public Awareness Of Identity Theft

By Andrew Gorosko

The local incidence of identity theft has grown during the past several years, and is expected to increase as the use of computers becomes more pervasive, according to Newtown police.

Identity theft occurs when someone obtains the personal information of another without authorization and then uses that information for unlawful purposes. Identity theft allows criminals to obtain money, goods and services, as well as fake drivers’ licenses, birth certificates, passports, and other legal documents, police say.

Information stolen, electronically or otherwise, typically includes names, social security numbers, dates of birth, and mothers’ maiden names.

Identity theft is considered to be one of the fastest growing economic crimes in the United States.

In Connecticut, identity theft is a Class D felony. Convictions for such crimes are punishable by up to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

“It’s a big world out there. It’s [identity theft] an ongoing thing. It’s only getting worse,” said Detective Sergeant Robert Tvardzik, who heads the police department’s detective division.

The widespread use of computers in society has expanded the scope of identity theft, facilitating the crime, he said.

“It’s more prevalent than ever, at least two to three [complaints] a week,” he said. That complaint rate translates into local police handling about 125 identity theft complaints annually.

“The [complaint] frequency is still rising,” Det Sgt Tvardzik added.

The police’s complaint rate on identity theft noticeably increased about two to three years ago, he said.

“It’s part of the computer age,” he noted, observing that much personal data used by identity thieves is transmitted electronically across computer networks.

Besides identity theft, computer networks are used by criminals for Internet online auction fraud and for Internet fraud in general, he said.

The personal information of Newtown residents has been used without their knowledge by identity thieves in various parts of the United States and the world, he said.

Typically, illegally obtained personal information is used in obtaining cellular telephones, in seeking loans, to receive public utility service, and for credit card applications, Det Sgt Tvardzik said.

Police have learned of a large number fraudulent credit card transactions that stem from identity thieves’ illegal use of other people’s personal information, he said.

One local resident’s personal information was used by an identity thief to obtain a mortgage, he noted.

The victims of identity theft often learn about the crime long after it has occurred, when the victims are contacted by bill collection agencies seeking payment for goods or services that the victims did not buy, but which were purchased by identity thieves using the victims’ personal information, Det Sgt Tvardzik added.

Local police very often face the problem of not having legal jurisdiction to enforce the identity theft law because many of the crimes that are reported to them have occurred outside their jurisdiction, he said.

In such cases, police make a report to create an official police record of the crime that occurred and then refer the matter to the police jurisdiction in which it is enforceable, he said. Some complaints are turned over to the FBI.

In some cases, police have detected collusion between merchants and identity thieves in which the merchants knowingly receive illegally obtained personal information in a fraudulent business transaction, he said.

As a safeguard, Det Sgt Tvardzik urges that people frequently check their credit reports to ensure that they are not victims of identity theft.

Newtown police have received specialized training to help them address the challenges posed by identity theft, Det Sgt Tvardzik said.

Police urge the victims of identity theft to file a report with the police in the community where the crime occurred or with local police.

Town police have prepared a brochure for the public explaining how identity theft can be prevented and what people should do if they are victims of identity theft. It is available at the police station at 3 Main Street, telephone 426-5841.