Summit helps police combat identity theft

With a few keystrokes on his computer, Robert Boback Thursday showed a room full of police officers how easy identity theft has become.

Using a popular peer-to-peer file-sharing program, the data security expert within minutes downloaded income tax returns from hundreds of people's computers - and with those forms got the Social Security numbers of the computer owners, their spouses and children.

While identity thieves continue to pursue credit card skimming, phishing and old-fashioned stealing, Boback blamed the increased use of peer-to-peer file sharing programs as a key reason why as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year.

"If a victim of identity theft contacts you and says, 'I don't know what happened. I don't know how they got my information. I didn't lose my purse. I didn't lose my wallet,'" said Boback, chief executive officer of Pennsylvania-based Tiversa, "guess what? Here is how it happens."

Boback's eye-opening demonstration was part of a summit for law enforcement officials on identity theft.

Officials from more than 30 police departments attended the daylong event, which was hosted by the West Chicago Police Department and co-sponsored by the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and LifeLock.

With identity theft growing at "an epidemic rate," organizers said the goal was to give police a better understanding of the crime and teach them new ways to investigate it.

"We try to give them a well-rounded, one-day seminar of how to work a case from beginning to end," said Mike Prusinski, a spokesman for LifeLock, an identity theft protection service.

"Law enforcement cannot catch up to what's going on," said Prusinski, noting that identity theft is up nearly 33 percent in Illinois. "So the best thing we can do right now is arm them with the knowledge and specialized techniques that make it easier to do their jobs."

Bloomingdale Deputy Chief Roy Derby said identity theft has come a long way from the days when thieves would steal credit card statements from the trash. He agreed it's vital that police continue to get the latest training.

"The bad guys are always learning new stuff," Derby said. "We've got to stay up with them."

Among the topics were victims' assistance and community outreach. While officers learned how to help victims, Prusinski said it's up to consumers to avoid having their personal data stolen.

"It's their social security number. It's their date of birth," Prusinski said. "They are the ones who have to go out there and take proactive steps to make it more difficult for criminals to use their information."