How Many Identity Thefts Were Victim-Facilitated?
Protect your Social Security number and other per- sonal information. Don’t let identity thieves rob you of your educational future!
B O X 5.4 Advice to Motorists About Vehicle Theft
What the Insurance Industry Recommends in Order to Safeguard the Vehicle:
The insurance industry advises it customers to take a “layered approach” that involves four sets of precautions
1. Use Common Sense:
2. Park in well-lit areas. Be aware of surroundings and avoid parking near suspicious looking people. Always lock the car’s doors and close all windows completely. Remove the keys from the car. Never leave the engine running unattended—not even for a minute. Take all valuable items from the car or hide them from view.
3. Install Visible or Audible Anti-Theft Devices: 4. Activate a car alarm system; steering wheel locks;
steering column collars; and wheel locks. Get the vehi- cle identification number (VIN) etched on all windows and attach a theft deterrent decal to them.
5. Add a vehicle immobilizer:
6. Purchase smart keys which have computer chips that must be present to start the car; fuse cut-offs; hidden kill-switches; and starter, ignition, and fuel disablers.
7. Buy a transmitter for a tracking system so a stolen vehicle can be quickly located and recovered (Scafidi, 2014b).
What to Do If the Vehicle Is Stolen:
1. Call the police immediately to report the crime so that they won’t assume the owner is behind the wheel if the vehicle is used as a getaway car or is involved in a hit- and-run accident. The police might be able to recover the vehicle if it is abandoned.
2. Call the tracking system company to alert them so they can seek to locate the vehicle.
3. Notify the insurance company to begin the paperwork to file a claim for a temporary replacement and eventual reimbursement.
148 CH APT ER 5
Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
INSPECTOR GENERAL JOHN HIGGINS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [ADDRESSING COLLEGE STUDENTS] , (2005)
We’re all vulnerable to identity theft—that’s the bad news. The good news is that you can protect yourself.