Once he’s served his tour of duty overseas, the last thing a serviceman wants to come home to is a pile of bills, mortgage loans and credit cards – even more so if the accounts bear the name of the serviceman, but he didn’t open them.
Identity theft takes place when someone steals the identity of another person and uses it to open credit accounts, purchase services and even commit crime. And the military isn’t immune to this type of crime.
For example, the Social Security number of a chief staff officer for a Virginia-based Naval Network and Space Operations Command post was misused by a family member. A half-brother placed the officer’s name and information on a W-2 form to avoid child support payments, and then set up cable television and wireless phone services in his name. Bills were not paid and, in the end, the staff officer suffered a serious blow to his credit rating, and his security clearance was jeopardized.
When it comes to identity theft of military personnel, it is the use of Social Security numbers for common identification throughout the military that has made obtaining additional information much easier for thieves. And on top of this, the Internet is filled with skilled hackers who can infiltrate personal information in a matter of minutes.
In an effort to reduce the number of incidents of identity theft against military personnel, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service has dropped the first five digits of each service person’s Social Security number when preparing hard-copy earnings statements and checks.
To avoid suffering an attack of identity theft, military personnel living in on-post housing should keep an close eye on any paperwork that discloses personal information, including home addresses and credit card statements.
If you are being deployed out of the country, make sure you make arrangements for your mail to be held or received by a person you trust. While on active duty, ask creditors to make moves to verify your identity before credit is issued in your name.
