EAST HARLEM — A 38-year-old Harlem man was shocked to learn that he recently racked up $8,500 worth of furniture charges at Raymour & Flanigan. A woman got a call from American Express telling her a card had been opened using her Social Security number.
These cases and others like them are on the rise as identity theft has more than doubled in the 25th Precinct since 2012, according to Deputy Inspector Thomas Harnisch, the precinct commander.
There have been 48 cases of identity theft in the precinct so far this year. That number was 19 during the same period in 2012, 26 in 2013 and 37 in the first seven months of 2014, according to data from the NYPD.
Thieves use a range of tactics — stealing personal information to open bank accounts, forging checks, filing income tax returns under a stolen name, or simply stealing credit cards.
Identity thieves don’t seem to be targeting a specific demographic. Men and women 18 years or older seem to be equally targeted regardless of race, according to data.
“If you’re old enough to establish credit or open a bank account you are a potential victim,” Harnisch said.
In most cases — such as an incident involving a 42-year-old man who couldn't withdraw money from an ATM because someone had already taken $428 from his account — victims lose less than $2,500. Those losses are often covered by banks and eventually returned to the victims, Harnisch said.
"What most of the people complain about is not the dollar value, it’s the amount of time they have to invest to unravel all of this stuff," he said.
The process includes cancelling accounts, filing police reports and calling various agencies, Harnisch added.
To help stop identity theft, the precinct has stepped up the awareness campaign to fight the uptick.
Officer Zulfiqar Ahmed from the crime prevention unit regularly visits tenant association meetings and neighborhood groups. The unit has given 10 identity theft presentations so far this year, Harnisch said.
They also regularly visit banks and work with them to be on guard for card-skimming machines, he added.
Ahmed schedules one-on-one meetings and makes house calls for people 65 and older. One of the most recent visits involved a woman who was getting ready to file her taxes and received a strange letter from the IRS.
“The IRS contacted her because she owed them money,” Ahmed said.
The identity theft presentations have become very popular in the past year. They usually end with raised hands and questions about how people can protect themselves from becoming victims, he added.
Some of the basic tips include regularly shredding important documents, not opening too many credit cards and keeping your wallet in your front pocket instead of your back pocket.
Harnisch invited residents to use some of the shredders in the precinct.
"I always tell people if they are really concerned about it, anytime they want they can come to the precinct," he said.
Experts also suggest regularly changing passwords, avoid using free WiFi and updating anti-virus software, according to Money Magazine.
People can also be proactive by checking their credit score for free at the three credit agencies once a year, Harnisch added.
