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Home > KSL Crimewatch > Avoiding Identity Theft


	Podcast:		KSL Crimewatch
	Episode:		Avoiding Identity Theft
	Category:		Government & Organizations
	Duration:		00:01:58
	Publish Date:		2017-02-28 16:58:49
	Description:		One of the top crimes in Utah continues to be identity theft. With a recent sting that uncovered 150,000 victims in the Salt Lake valley, former Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder lists a few things you can do to stay safe. --- Today, one of the largest crimes the Unified Police Department is investigating is “identity theft.” Individuals whose identities—specifically their credit cards and other account information—has been taken by criminals, only to be used over and over again, draining the individuals’ accounts. Not only are individuals losing real money and real time, but credit and reputations are devastated. Identity theft is a terrible crime. Recently, the Unified Police Department uncovered an investigation involving more than 150,000 victims here in the Salt Lake valley. Individuals were taking people’s identity and they were manufacturing new accounts: bank accounts, new credit cards, retail merchants, or other lines of credit. Any mechanism that they can obtain easy cash through an electronic means. Some of the ways that you can prevent identity theft is by: 1. Engaging in constant monitoring of your bank activity. 2. Routinely checking your credit rating to determine if it’s diminishing because of excessive account openings. 3. Monitor your mail. If bills or other financial documents that you would normally receive are for some reason not appearing, you may be the victim of mail theft—in which individuals have seized your account information and are attempting to perpetrate identity theft. This is a crime that can affect you not just today, but for years to come. We stand ready to continue to investigate this, but we hope that the community will also take steps to prevent identity theft.
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