Bank Holds "Safe-Tea" Event on ID Theft

Over hot tea and sandwiches, a group of people sat in on event at People's United Bank in Mount Kisco on scam and identity theft prevention.

The Friday event, called "Safe-Tea," had a laidback setting over discussion about a serious topic.

Raul Fernandez, a detective and youth officer at the Mount Kisco Police Department, highlighted numerous examples of scams, both online and offline.

Noting how easy it can be for someone to impersonate a police officer, and knock on people's doors, Fernandez described his experiences as a plain-clothed police officer.

"I've been invited so many times in somebody's home, and I just laugh to myself, saying, 'Good lord, if I was someone here, to take advantage of the person, I just got let in with an invitation."

Fernandez said not to let people in easily.

"Do not be embarrassed, shy or intimidated by the person at the door," he said, adding that people should ask to see identification.

He also talked about being safe without a Social Security card, and said not to carry it around unless there is a need to use it for something, and to keep track.

Fernandez talked about not being taken advantage of by people trying to get into your house, citing a case that the police department had several years ago where a woman would pretend that her car broke down and used it as a story to get into someone's house, while distracting the homeowner and giving her accomplice the chance to steal valuables.

"Kindness of strangers are always taken advantage of," he said.

In addition, he mentioned the pitfalls of online scams. At one point he joked that he is the wealthiest man in Europe because of the number of e-mails he has gotten telling him that he won the "European Lottery."

Fernandez's presentation also placed an emphasis on slowing down criminals and making it frustrating for them to get people. He said that while we cannot be protected in every way, the criminal's job can be made harder, and he also said that criminals will move on to someone else if they can't get you.

Simon Oram, president of Oram Security Consultants, was another speaker at the event.

Oram touched on a number of potential areas for fraud, including with the Census. In that example, he said that real Census workers will have proper identification and will ask 10 non-financial questions. He also said that they're also told not to come into people's houses.

He also touched on checking account fraud, and advised attendees to pick up check books at the bank instead of getting them from the mailbox, where they could be stolen.

Other safety tips Oram touched on included missing children – where he advised people to take recent pictures just in case, rather than rely on older ones – and carjacking, where he advised people to lock the doors when they immediately get in, or even pass by the car from the passenger side to see if anyone is hiding behind the driver's seat.

At the meeting, the affects of identity theft were noted by its breadth and a seeming permanence of it affecting victims.

Fernandez said that it can be a "jurisdictional nightmare," once an identity is stolen, due to the fact that it can be international.

A bank employee from another branch also spoke. At one point, she recounted a case where she talked about a person who had been targeted with a "sweepstakes" and gave her subsequent examples of attempted scams, both online and through the mail. She brought the examples with her in a thick book.