Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Fraud Squad Superintendent Colbert Edwards is warning Jamaicans, as they enter the festive season, not to relax their vigilance regarding identity theft.

The offence, he notes, is often committed by persons who know you well and who are able to use your personal details to obtain your birth certificate, driver's licence and your passport, as a first move before plundering your financial resources.

According to Edwards, justices of the peace, who sign forms stating that they know individuals, should really desist from doing so if they have never met the person before, as these forms are used to obtain fraudulent identification.

Caula Wright of the Consumer Affairs Commission says that in general, there are strategies which can be used to reduce the possibility of identity theft, which includes keeping a check of your own behavioural patterns.

One man's trash ...

What may look like garbage to you - the old envelopes and other items containing your personal information - may be gold to identity thieves who use a variety of methods to steal your personal information, including dumpster diving.

Thieves will go through your trash looking for bills or other papers with your personal information on it.

They also do skimming - which involves stealing credit or debit-card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.

Identity theft refers to the use of another individual's personal information, like their credit-card number and name without permission, says Wright, who explained that identity theft could deprive one of funds, destroy one's credit rating, and ruin one's reputation.

The intention is usually to steal money or get other benefits.

'Change of address'

Other methods of identity theft include phishing - pretending to be financial institutions or companies to persuade you to reveal your bank account or other information.

Phishing is usually done through spam email or pop-up messages, and sometimes the phishers go as far as creating a cloned web page of the insitution they are copying.

Next is that of changing your address.

Criminals will divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change-of-address form.

Another popular ID-theft method involves actual theft of wallets and purses, mail, including bank and credit-card statements, pre-approved credit offers, and, new checks or tax information.

Fraudsters also steal personnel records from their employers, or bribe employees who have access.

Identity theft is now a real issue in Jamaica, with more and more consumers being fleeced of their hard-earned cash.

The Consumer Affairs Commission notes that while the use of another person's identity is usually for credit-card and financial fraud, thieves may also use a stolen identity to obtain utility services or to get a driver's licence.

They may also use your identity at the time of arrest if caught committing a crime.

Prevention of identity includes awareness on your part.

Here are nine tips:

1. Shred financial documents and papers with personal information before you discard them.

2. Don't give out personal information on the phone, via mail or the Internet unless you are absolutely sure who is at the receiving end.

3. Use reputable anti-virus software and firewalls to protect your computer.

4. Use passwords that are not easy to decipher. Avoid using your date of birth. This is usually one of the the easiest passwords to break.

5. Keep personal information in a safe place.

6. Be alert. Try to detect suspicious activity, such as someone watching you while you are entering an ATM password, denial of credit or inability to process a point-of-sale purchase when you should have funds in your account, or bills with items that you did not purchase.

7. Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails. Instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls, anti-spyware and anti-virus software to protect your home computer. Keep them up to date.

8. Don't use an obvious password, like your birth date, your mother's maiden name, or the last digits of your social security number/NIS or TRN. Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house.

9. Detect suspicious activity by routinely monitoring your financial accounts and billing statements.

Be alert to signs that require immediate attention:

Bills that do not arrive as expected.

Unexpected credit cards or account statements.

Denials of credit for no apparent reason.

Calls or letters about purchases you did not make.

Consumers are cautioned to be alert at all times, Caula Wright states.avia.collinder@ gleanerjm.com