IDENTITIY THEFT & CONSUMER PROTECTION
Identity theft is one of the most common crimes law enforcement investigates in today's "wired" world. With the advancements in computer technology and ease of access many people have to electronic resources such as computers, wireless devices, online accounts (bank, credit, and debit), and other technology, the risk for theft of ones identity and personal information has increased greatly.
Where criminals had to search for physical documents like bills, credit cards, and other personal documents to obtain personal information in the years prior to the internet, with a varying ranges of computer skills, they can simply use the vast internet to commit their crimes. This presents a unique set of problems for law enforcement due to the lack of physical evidence. Where the crime scene is essentially on the world wide web, this requires complex tracking of such things as emails, messages, and related transactions. This is a time consuming and often tedeaous process for investigators, often times leading to offenders in other parts of the world, far away from the arm and responsibilty of the United States legal system.
The methods, ruses, and schemes criminals use to steal someones identity, information, or money range from the basic to the very complex. The crimes may range from a store clerk stealing private information while at work to someone seeking ATM/Debit passwords at an ATM machine to large scale online security breaches where the credit card/personal information of customers is accessed by hackers and many more crimes similar in nature. In either case, to find out your the victim of identity theft is unnerving.
Also of importance is the subject of consumer protection. Frequently, people come to the police department when they are aggrieved by a business or consumer transaction, (such as a sale, purchase, instance when a contract for services may fall through, or a vehicle that is a "lemon"), seeking criminal charges. Except for in rare cases, these consumer transations are not criminal and thus, not handled by the police, who investigate criminal matters. Citizens and consumers are not without recourse. In fact, the Massachusetts Consumer Protection statute, known more commonly as Chapter "93A", has many "self help" options that consumers may seek on their own. Please see the link below for consumer protection options provided by the Commonwealth.
To assist you in helping to prevent identity theft and consumer protection, please note some of the tips below. Also, click on the links to other helpful websites concerning this topic.
IDENTITY THEFT TIPS |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
Q: I have been the victim of identity theft and the person who stole my information used it when they were arrested or summonsed to court. How do I get the charge off my record. A: You must follow the steps set forth by the Massachusetts Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB) to establish you are an identity theft victim. If the record is in another state, you must contact the similar authority responsible for maintaining criminal records to see what their specific procedure is. Click on the CHSB link for more information. |
HAVE YOU BEEN A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT? |
DOWNLOAD THE MILLBURY POLICE IDENTITY THEFT PACKET? (DOWNLOAD AND COMPLETE) |
HELPFUL LINKS |
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Last Updated: 09/05/12