Forum To Focus On Identity Theft

The U.S. Attorney in Kansas City will hold a free forum tonight in the Kansas City area on how to keep your identity from being stolen. Identity theft is a growing problem in this country. Spurred by the expansion of the Internet and electronic communications, the number of complaints of people who have had their identities stolen, and sometimes a good chunk of their money, has risen to more than 160,000 nationwide last year. And it’s expected to double again this year. Jeff Valenti is the Chief of the Computer Crimes Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas City. He says a common technique to steal an identity is called “phishing.” Valenti says the amount stolen can range from just your good name to hundreds of thousands of dollars. He says the best way to prevent it is to make sure you don’t use your Social Security number for your driver’s license.