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How Safe is Your Identity?
What can you do to safeguard your identity? What should you do if you are a victim of theft identity?

Introduction ~ Task ~ Process ~ Resources ~ Evaluation ~ Conclusion

Introduction

The news is full of stories about security breaches which expose consumers to the risk of identity theft. We all think it won’t happen to us. Unfortunately many people are receiving phone calls and letters from collection agencies to inform them differently. Today you received a call from a collection agency asking for payment toward the $12,000 balance on your VISA credit card. You don’t even have a VISA card! This must be some kind of error or glitch in their billing system! After calling the company to straighten out the situation, you are horrified to learn that you are a victim of Identity Theft!

How did this happen? What should you do? Where can you find information to help you make this go away? What can you do to reduce your risk of identity theft happening again?

Task

How could Identity Theft happen to you? The first thing you will want to discover is how thieves steal identities. Complete the following quiz to learn your risk level.

Identity Theft - Are You at Risk?

1. ____ Yes ____ No Do you have only your name and address preprinted on your personal checks? If you list your list your social security, drivers license, or telephone number… answer no.

2. ____ Yes ____ No Do you shred banking, credit card and utility statements before you throw them away?

3. ____ Yes ____ No Have you checked your credit report in the last year?

4. ____ Yes ____ No Have your ever inquired WHY someone wants your personal information?

(Such as a store clerk, telemarketer, sweepstakes entry, warranty card or rebate slips.)

5. ____ Yes ____No Do you scrutinize your monthly bank, credit card and utility statements for fraudulent or unauthorized charges?

6. ____Yes ____No Do you ALWAYS verify a call on the phone (or the Web site security when on-line) before giving out any personal information?

7. ____Yes ____No Do you have a front door mail slot, a locking mailbox, a cluster delivery box or a post office box?

8. ____Yes ____No Have you attacked your own identity lately?

Look for your own information through public records or on the Internet…

www.argali.com

www.anywho.com

www.lexisnexis.com

www.searchbug.com

www.google.com

www.ussearch.com

www.whowhere.com

Compliments of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office - Consumer Protection Division

www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.org

No responses are areas which could put you at risk for Identity Theft. The more times you chose “no” the greater the risk of someone stealing your identity.

The quiz should begin to give you ideas of how your identity can be stolen. You will also need to find out what to do once you have your identity stolen as well as preventing it from happening again. After you research the topic of Identity Theft you and a partner will be expected to share your knowledge through a PowerPoint presentation to the class.

Through this experience you will accomplish these goals:

1. Define identity theft.

2. Describe ways that thieves steal a person’s identity.

3. List resources to assist someone who is a victim of identity theft.

4. Identify practices that can reduce the chances of identity theft.

Process

The teacher will pair you up with a partner to do research. After you have thoroughly researched your topic you will prepare a PowerPoint presentation about Identity Theft.

First you must decide how did the thief gain your identity? The quiz in the Task area will give you some ideas to explore with your partner as you begin your research.

Check out the information in the Resources section as well as recent magazine and newspaper articles to learn more about Identity Theft.

Once you have thoroughly researched Identity Theft you are ready to create your PowerPoint presentation. Your presentation should include:

1. An introduction with an explanation or scenario of how you think your identity was stolen.

2. What steps you will take to get your identity cleared and your credit information repaired.

3. What you will do to reduce your chances of Identity Theft in the future.

4. Bibliography or References to all resources used in your presentation.

You will then share your presentation with the class on the date agreed upon by you and the teacher.

Resources

These are some resources that may help you in your search for Identity Theft Information.

Federal Trade Commission

This is the home page for identity theft information by the Federal Trade Commission.

It contains links to pages containing consumer information and publications on identity theft.

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html

Identity Theft Resource Center

This is a nonprofit organization that provides information on identity theft. It has links to various pages for additional information and resources.

http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml

The victim guides link is very helpful.

http://www.idtheftcenter.org/vguides.shtml

National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch (NFIC/IFW)

This site has information about telemarketing and internet fraud.

http://www.fraud.org/

Helpful hints to avoid phishing are found here.

http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/phishing.htm

United States Department of Justice - Identity Theft and Identity Fraud Information

Information on identity theft and fraud is provided by the Department of Justice. It contains links to other resources.

www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html

Federal Citizen Information Center

This is a consumer action website. A handbook and other resources are available to consumers free of charge.

http://consumeraction.gov/

Information on how to protect your identity is included in this link.

http://consumeraction.gov/caw_protect_identity.shtml

Social Security Administration

This Social Security Administration page contains links to help with identity theft.

www.ssa.gov/pubs/idtheft.htm

Privacy Rights ClearingHouse

This link focuses on identity theft from a nonprofit organization for consumer information and advocacy. Be sure to check out the quizzes.

http://www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm

Iowa Attorney General’s Office - Consumer Protection Division

This site contains information on identity theft and links to other resources for consumer fraud.

http://www.iowaattorneygeneral.org/

These are brochures you may download with information on identity theft:

http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/consumer/brochures/Identity_Theft_DONT.pdf

http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/consumer/brochures/Identity_Theft_GUIDE.pdf

You may include information found in books, magazines, and newspapers found at the Media Center or Library.

Be sure to cite your resources to avoid plagiarism.

Evaluation

After hearing all the presentations, you will be required to complete a rubric to evaluate your work. You will receive a hard copy from the teacher, but an example is shown below.

In place of a test or quiz for this unit you will write a paper including the following ideas:

1. The most surprising thing I learned about Identity Theft was ….

2. What are the most common methods used to gain someone’s identity? (Minimum of 3 is required)

3. I plan to do these things to reduce my chances for Identity Theft. (Minimum of 5 is required)

Please type your response in a minimum of two pages double spaced with a size 12 font.

For a “C” on your paper cover 1 idea, for a “B” cover 2 of the ideas above and for an “A” you will need to include all 3 of the above ideas.

Rubric for Presentation

Identity Theft Project Evaluation Name ________________________

	5	3	1	0	Student	Teacher
PowerPoint Presentation	Presented a completed project on time!	Presented an incomplete project on time.	Presented to the class after the agreed upon date.	Did not present to the class.
Introduction or Scenario	Our introduction really grabbed everyone’s attention.	We included a scenario or introduction to the presentation.	Introduction or scenario was unclear to the audience.	No introduction or scenario was presented.
Clearing your Identity and repairing credit	Had 5 or more ideas included.	Had 3 - 4 ideas included.	Had only 1 idea included.	No ideas were included.
Reduce theft identity	Included 4 or more suggestions.	Included 3 suggestions.	Only offered one suggestion.	No ideas were included.
Resources used and cited in your bibliography.	Used 5 or more resources.	Used 2-4 resources.	Only used one resource.	No resources were cited.
Use of class time	On task and working like a pro!	On task most of the time, but could have been more productive.	Didn’t use class time very effectively.	Not in class during the project.
Teamwork	My partner and I worked very well together.	My partner and I worked okay together.	I really let my partner down on this one. I could have done more.	My partner did it all.
Total

Comments or Concerns:

Recommendations:

Conclusion

No one is exempt from Identity Theft. But there are many things we can do to reduce our chances of becoming a victim. Hopefully this WebQuest has given you some ideas of ways you can protect your identity and your credit. When someone steals your identity they can create many problems for your financial life. Most credit considerations will be put on hold or frozen.

You will be unable to borrow money or buy large items such as cars and houses without a good credit history. For additional information on credit and preventing identity theft, check out these sites:

The 4 Keys to a Good Credit File

http://credit.about.com/cs/creditrepair/a/060403.htm

CitiFinancial - How to maintain good credit

http://www.citifinancial.com/resourcecenter/allaboutcredit_goodcredit.php

Wells Fargo - How to protect your credit

http://www.wellsfargo.com/credit_center/manage_credit/fix_credit/howto_protect

Safer Internet Shopping

http://credit.about.com/od/internetfraud/a/aa070700a.htm

Remember:

The to a more secure identity is reducing access to your personal information!

Karen Nelson
kmnelson@muscatine.k12.ia.us
Muscatine High School

2705 Cedar St.

Muscatine, IA 52761