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CNN Live At Daybreak
New Weapon for Fighting Identity Theft
Aired July 29, 2003 - 06:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well the Secret Service has a new weapon to fight identity theft and they will unveil it today in Washington.
So let's head to D.C. live right now and Julie Vallese. She has a preview for us.
Good morning.
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Identity thieves are organizing, sharing information on how to commit crimes and how to get away with them. But as you mentioned, they are not the only ones organizing. The Secret Service, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other government agencies, are distributing a new resource to the more than 40,000 law enforcement agencies across the country in an effort to fight identity theft.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the fastest growing white-collar crime in America and everyone is a potential victim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never say that you can protect yourself against identity theft because your information is out there to be misused.
VALLESE: Sally Twiniman's (ph) information was misused in the most common type of identity theft, credit card fraud.
SALLY TWINIMAN, VICTIM: I got a credit card bill for like $12,000 and actually, it had charges up to $16,000. And I'm like whoa.
VALLESE: But she didn't know where to go to for help. She did turn to her local police.
TWINIMAN: They were very nice, but they didn't know what to do.
VALLESE: Investigating and fighting identity crimes, while new to some law enforcement agencies, is not new to the Secret Service, which is now taking steps to assist law enforcement and in turn, victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This product is going to give them exposure to all the key elements that we have come across as being tools in the trade when it comes to identity crime.
VALLESE: The 10-minute video, meant to be shown during roll call, is an introduction to identity crimes. The CD-ROM is an educational and investigative resource to help law enforcement know what to look for in identifying machinery, counterfeited documents, as well as where to turn to for help with an investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In addition to that, it's to provide material readily available to give to victims to give them a better handle on what they need to do to clear their good name.
VALLESE: It's the kind of help Sally Twiniman was hoping for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now by the end of this year, the Federal Trade Commission estimates more than 200,000 people will have filed complaints for identity theft. But because most people don't know where to go to report an identity theft crime, the FTC and independent reporting agencies say that number is low and the actual number of people who have been victim of identity crimes reaches well into the millions -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Julie Vallese reporting live from Washington, D.C. this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 29, 2003 - 06:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well the Secret Service has a new weapon to fight identity theft and they will unveil it today in Washington.
So let's head to D.C. live right now and Julie Vallese. She has a preview for us.
Good morning.
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Identity thieves are organizing, sharing information on how to commit crimes and how to get away with them. But as you mentioned, they are not the only ones organizing. The Secret Service, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other government agencies, are distributing a new resource to the more than 40,000 law enforcement agencies across the country in an effort to fight identity theft.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the fastest growing white-collar crime in America and everyone is a potential victim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never say that you can protect yourself against identity theft because your information is out there to be misused.
VALLESE: Sally Twiniman's (ph) information was misused in the most common type of identity theft, credit card fraud.
SALLY TWINIMAN, VICTIM: I got a credit card bill for like $12,000 and actually, it had charges up to $16,000. And I'm like whoa.
VALLESE: But she didn't know where to go to for help. She did turn to her local police.
TWINIMAN: They were very nice, but they didn't know what to do.
VALLESE: Investigating and fighting identity crimes, while new to some law enforcement agencies, is not new to the Secret Service, which is now taking steps to assist law enforcement and in turn, victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This product is going to give them exposure to all the key elements that we have come across as being tools in the trade when it comes to identity crime.
VALLESE: The 10-minute video, meant to be shown during roll call, is an introduction to identity crimes. The CD-ROM is an educational and investigative resource to help law enforcement know what to look for in identifying machinery, counterfeited documents, as well as where to turn to for help with an investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In addition to that, it's to provide material readily available to give to victims to give them a better handle on what they need to do to clear their good name.
VALLESE: It's the kind of help Sally Twiniman was hoping for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now by the end of this year, the Federal Trade Commission estimates more than 200,000 people will have filed complaints for identity theft. But because most people don't know where to go to report an identity theft crime, the FTC and independent reporting agencies say that number is low and the actual number of people who have been victim of identity crimes reaches well into the millions -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Julie Vallese reporting live from Washington, D.C. this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com
