The Old Westbury Police would like to alert our residents of an increase in Identity Theft cases being reported. Specifically, this increase has seen Identity Theft cases targeting the Asian community. In these cases, thieves have gone on the New York State DMV website and filed a change of address form for the victim’s driver’s license. Once receiving the new driver’s license, they use it to gather additional identification items. They then use it to commit fraudulent acts against the victim’s bank accounts, credit cards, and have taken loans out in the victim’s names. The victims are unaware that the drivers license has been changed and often only find out after seeing unusual activity on bank or credit card statements. The Old Westbury Police Department is actively working with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles investigators as well as other police agencies experiencing similar incidents. We urge all residents to take steps to monitor your Identity. Please take some time to review the tips below, on ways to help secure your identity:
-Set up credit monitoring with push notification alerts, through an Identity Theft protection service. Many companies including the three major credit bureaus offer such services.
-Consider placing an extended fraud alert or a credit freeze to make it more difficult for thieves to open accounts against you. This is highly recommended if you have been a victim of Identity Theft.
-Protect your personal information by shredding important documents, securing passwords and other personal information.
-See the attached links for more tips and information on protecting your identity: identitytheft.gov Experian.com TransUnion.com Equifax.com
-Please pass along this information to family and friends. Contact the Old Westbury Police 516-626-0200 if you are a victim of Identity Theft and file a report. You can also stop in the Police Station to pick up a booklet with further Identity Theft tips and information.