Carpino Holds Identity Protection & Safety Event
PORTLAND- To provide helpful information to Portland residents, State Rep. Christie Carpino (Cromwell and Portland) was invited by the Portland Senior Center to host an Identity Protection and Safety Forum to talk about the dangers of identity theft on June 12th.
The morning event featured Pamela Brown, the Lead Special Investigator for the Department of Consumer Protection who discussed the issue of identity theft, how to protect residents and communities, and ways to recognize scams that could put your private information in danger.
“In identity theft, someone virtually invades your life, taking pieces of your personal identifying information as his or her own and selling it or using it for their own benefit. It can be a tough and time-consuming problem to correct once it’s happened to you. Stealing a person’s identity is easier now than ever, thanks to computers and public access to personal data,” said Carpino.
“It is my hope forums like these help stop potential identity theft victims,” said Carpino, who brought with her several phishing emails she received just in one morning asking for her bank account information.
According to the Department of Consumer Protection, the best strategy for dealing with identity theft is prevention which is why the department holds these forums across the state.
A 2009 study indicates that identity theft is still the biggest source of U.S. consumer fraud, costing the country $57 billion last year. Last year, about 8 million cases were reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).