Meth users good at identity theft; CBI agent urges vigilance to protect private info

By MIKE McKIBBIN
Citizen TelegramRifle
mmckibbin@citizentelegram.com

BATTLEMENT MESA, COLO. - Identity theft and methamphetamine use go hand in hand, according to a Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent who specializes in tracking down those who steal people’s names and personal data.

John Zamora recently told the Parachute/Grand Valley Kiwanis Club that meth users are good at committing identity theft “because they’ve got all this energy, at least at first. Fortunately, the more they use meth, they start making mistakes.”

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America because “there’s big money to be made and you can make it fast,” Zamora said.

“If someone steals your identity, you can expect to spend an average of 600 hours filling out paperwork and doing other things to let your bank and credit bureaus know you’ve been a victim,” he said. “And you can expect to spend about $1,400 to fix your credit. You basically have to prove your innocence.”

Last year, Colorado had 4,328 identity theft victims, 8th in the nation, while the city of Greeley was third in the U.S. for identity theft.

“A lot of gangs are getting into stealing identities because there’s a lot of money to be made,” Zamora said. “Nowadays, they don’t have to rob someone with a gun and get away with maybe $20 or $30. They can dress in suits, come to places like the Battlement Mesa Activity Center and rummage through the offices to find someone’s social security number.”

Identity thieves steal their information from credit bureaus, auto dealers, hospitals, employers, anyone with someone’s social security number, date of birth, bank account numbers or other facts, he said. Some use small hand-held “skimmers,” devices that can quickly record information from a credit card’s magnetic strip, Zamora added.

Some state and federal laws, such as the Fair Credit Billing Act and Electronic Funds Transfer Act, limit liability and can help victims correct errors on their credit report caused by identity thieves, he said.

Zamora advised people to not carry important identification with them, such as social security numbers. Promptly retrieving mail from mail boxes, shredding all documents before throwing them away, canceling all unused and unwanted credit cards are other steps Zamora said can help prevent identity theft.