Katy Nicholson

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Herald Staff Writer

WELDON - Being an expert on security didn't stop Leonard Hight from bring a victim of identity theft.

Hight, an experienced disaster and security specialist who works for SI International, spoke at a seminar at Halifax Community College about preventing identity theft, and shared his own frustrating experience with the issue.

While on vacation, Hight hooked his laptop up to a wireless network and someone intercepted his information. When his bills and tax information didn't get delivered to his house, Hight found out that they had been redirected to the condominium complex in Florida where he had vacationed.

Noting that most people don't even consider the possibility, Hight said, “I got caught and I know what I'm doing.” He added it is important to make sure a wireless network is secure before connecting to it.

Identity theft is a hot topic these days. The subject has been featured in national magazines, and the U.S. Postal Service recently sent out pamphlets about it.

The seminar was sponsored by Edward Jones Investments, the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Center at Halifax Community College.

“It is a very prevalent issue among our clients,” said Carson Caudle Maddison, a financial adviser with Edward Jones. “We get a lot of questions and concerns about identity theft.”

Electronic data makes it easier for people's personal information to get stolen, Maddison noted, so it's important for people to learn ways to keep it safe.

“Society in general these days does not guard their personal information enough. They leave it out there,” she said.

Nearly 10 million people have been victims of identity theft, and that number continues to grow, Hight noted.

Among his tips for protecting one's identity were:

Activate firewalls and keep antivirus software up to date on your computer. Without a firewall, Hight said, a computer on the Internet is like a phone on a party line.

Make sure you enter information on a secure site, which should have a lock on it.

Don't sign the back of credit cards. Instead, write “See photo ID.”

Have checks printed without your driver's license number and phone number.

Use a credit card with a low amount for things like online shopping and dining out. If someone accesses your account, they won't have access to much money.

Stay up to date on your banking and investments.

Do not keep your Social Security card in your wallet.

Keep copies of any important information that is in your wallet in a secure place in your home. That way, if your wallet gets stolen, you will have the necessary phone numbers and account information to cancel credit cards and take other necessary action.

Do not open files online if you don't know who they're from.

Shred personal information before throwing it away.

Be discreet if you are sharing personal information on a cell phone.

If you have a post office box, use that for mailing instead of your home address.

Destroy electric key cards after your stay at a hotel, because your credit card information is encoded in it.

Report identity theft immediately to police in the location where you think the theft took place. Otherwise, report it to your local police.

Brittany Chase of Culpeper, Va., attended the seminar while visiting her grandmother during spring break. Chase had a personal experience with identity theft when she was scammed six weeks ago.

Chase was approached while she ate in her college cafeteria by someone who offered her an internship through her school. She went in for an interview, during which the “company” took down her social security, driver's license and credit card numbers under the pretense of a background check and tuition costs.

“They charged my credit card literally five minutes after the interview was over,” said Chase, who later learned that the whole thing was a pyramid scam.

Chase filed a police report and found out that she was not the only one who had experienced the scam. She had her credit and Social Security number frozen and was able to get her money back through her bank's fraud protection plan, but the experience made her want to learn more about protecting her identity.

Chase is certainly not alone - many who attended the seminar had questions about how to protect themselves. Hight noted that much of his advice is common sense, but it is always helpful to be reminded.

“You are the key to your security,” he said. “What you do every day, how you do it, what you do with your trash, what you do with your mail, all depends on your security.”