Saratoga News

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Residents need to protect mail to prevent theft of identity

By Shannon Burkey

Each week the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department receives numerous calls about the same thing--the theft of mail.

Residents, not only in Saratoga but all over the county, are becoming the victims of mail theft, which could then lead to identity theft.

"It's happening everywhere," said Capt. Terry Calderone of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department West Valley Substation. "Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the nation."

Calderone said that in the cities his station serves--Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills--there are at least 10 to 12 calls a week from residents who have had mail stolen from their residential mailboxes.

In April, following a chase by deputies, a search of the home of one of the fleeing men turned up numerous pieces of stolen mail, a lot of it from Saratoga.

Thieves searching mailboxes are looking for any piece of mail that could help give away an identity, such as bank statements with account numbers on them. They are also looking for checks being mailed out that can then be washed and rewritten for a higher amount.

"The hard part about identity theft is that it can be hard to track and it's big money," Calderone said.

Although identities will never be completely safe as long as so many people are out there trying to steal them, Calderone said there are ways to help safeguard against it.

"The big thing we recommend is that you don't put any mail with an account number in your home mailbox," he said. "If you have outgoing bills to send out, take them to a postal box."

The state's privacy protection department also recommends shredding papers with personal information before throwing them away, not carrying a Social Security card in wallets or purses, and frequently checking bank statements and credit reports.

Calderone's station holds two to three forums a year for residents to learn how to protect themselves. He recommends homeowners buy mailboxes with locks on them, secure any items with personal information on them in a safe place in their homes, and carry only limited identification in purses or wallets.

"If you have the last four digits of someone's Social Security number, you can get almost anything," he said.

These days, identity thieves are also getting a little more sophisticated and using more high-tech equipment.

"There are so many programs out there that can tap into websites and get information," Calderone said. "I know there are a lot of secure sites out there too, but I don't trust them. The Internet is so popular, though, that very few people are going to decline to use it--just use as much caution as possible."

The main thing to remember is that you can never be too safe.

"If someone really wants to get your identity, it's out there for them," Calderone said. "But just be cautious about where you put your information and make yourself a little less vulnerable."