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ID Theft Takes its Toll on the Workplace
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This past winter one of the top box-office movies was “Identity Thief,” a comedy about a guy chasing a woman across the country after she had stolen his identity. The message of the movie was simple: getting your identity stolen can be funny. But try telling that to the more than 11 million victims who each year suffer the devastating emotional toll of knowing they no longer have control over their lives. Identity theft is not just a financial burden, but also a feeling of vulnerability and violation. ID theft victims also have to cope with the long road needed to be traveled to try and resolve the situation.
Research shows it can take up to 33 hours for a victim to come to a satisfactory ID theft resolution. With some reports suggesting it can take up to 600 hours for truly serious breaches to be rectified, and occasionally the problem never gets resolved. That’s a lot of time spent on phones, emails, copying documents, running to the post office, etc. It also takes a lot of direct telephone interaction with a live person, a person who works your basic 9-5 schedule.
This means when a person has their identity stolen there’s also an innocent bystander about to become collateral damage: the employer.
James LaPiedra, President of ID Theft Solutions USA in Mahwah, NJ, recently wrote an article on how employers are affected when an employee falls victim to ID Theft. It has appeared in Transport Topics, Crain’s Tire Business, Central NY Business Journal, Food Industry News, Michigan Business Update, and Broker World. Read the article in Business NH magazine.
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Case Study: Credit Card Fraud
 It came to the attention of a Human Resources Director for a large West Coast pharmaceutical company that something was terribly wrong when she received notices that she had “opened” six credit cards with retailers. She discovered her identity had been stolen and the thief had already run up purchases close to $2,000. She immediately took steps to figure out what was wrong by contacting us to handle the situation. We needed to work quickly on the client’s behalf (through Limited Power of Attorney) before the situation spiraled out of control, beginning with working with the retailer’s Credit Customer Service Representatives and Credit Card Fraud Investigators to close the accounts. We then proceeded to take the necessary actions to recover the victim’s information and resolve the situation. Although the client wasn’t able to obtain a Police Report at first, we were able to do so by providing the client with a memo from the FTC to give to the police, explaining that this was in fact, a case of fraud. A Police Report is needed in order to complete “Affirmation of Unauthorized Use” for all retailers, which includes the Police Department’s Date of Report, Officer Name and Phone, Case or Report Number. This memo and Police Report ultimately brought closure for our client. We also sent extended (7 years) fraud alerts for our client to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. The result was it was determined that our client was not responsible. A Proof of Fraud was submitted, the accounts were closed and there was no monetary obligation to our client.
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ID Theft… In the News
 COLUMBIA, S.C. — State and federal officials say an international hacker broke into the South Carolina Department of Revenue computer files and gained access to about 3.6 million tax returns. Govenor Nikki Haley said the hacked files included state returns submitted since 1998 with unencrypted Social Security numbers. There also were about 387,000 credit and debit card numbers of which 16,000 were unencrypted.
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President’s Message
Seemingly overnight some stranger you’ve never met has taken over your life. This person has purchased items in your name, taken employment in your name, maybe even committed crimes in your name. In essence, they have become….you.
What sounds like science fiction actually affects over 9 million people a year in the United States: Identity Theft. There is no more helpless, frightening, and lonely feeling.
Each month “Protect What’s Yours” will provide helpful tips to stay ahead of the bad guys, fraud updates from across the U.S., case studies and much more. We welcome your feedback.
– James R. LaPiedra, President
ID Theft Solutions USA
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9 Ways to Avoid ID Theft when Traveling Abroad
 Like ordinary identity theft, identity thieves specifically target certain types of personal information of travelers, including; credit and debit account numbers, Social Security number, date of birth, and driver’s license number. According to the Corporate Travel Safety website, there are several things you can do during your travels to safeguard your personal information and ensure you aren’t amongst the next group of victims. Check out their tips.
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Prepare to take back what’s yours with
Lock Down Guide
A step by step guide to securing your personal information and avoiding risk. Written by Law Enforcement Professionals and offered upon enrollment.
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1-855-728-8743
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ID Theft Solutions USA
One International Blvd
Mahway, NJ 07595
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