U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the NMI Leonardo M. Rapadas yesterday said although there have been no cases of identity theft being prosecuted in the CNMI, this does not mean that identity theft is not occurring here.
“Identity theft is a growing industry, with about $56 billion lost from nine to 10 million victims every year,” Rapadas said.
He said the number of victims each year is probably under-reported.
“Identity theft is one of the most lucrative crimes available online with the technology and the internet, and we are conducting the training to make sure that stakeholders know how to combat it,” Rapadas said.
“Identity thieves can do the same thing you can do, and this could even lead to having some people arrested for things they didn’t commit,” he added.
According to Rapadas, if an individual thinks he or she is a victim of identity theft, there are some things to do.
“First, get an annual credit report, then check with the www.ftc.gov/idtheft Web site on ID theft and how to restore your identification,” Rapadas said.
This identity Web site is a one-stop national resource which provides all information to help individuals detect, prevent and defend against identity theft.
Victims of identity theft should also report to the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Service and to the local Department of Public Safety if they feel that their identity has been stolen, Rapadas said.
Participants in the identify theft training were representatives from the different banks, hotels, insurance companies, and government agencies like the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Labor, Immigrations, Customs and the Commonwealth Ports Authority.
Hosting the training with the U.S. Attorney’s Office are the U.S. Secret Service and the CNMI Attorney General’s Office.
