More than 500 cases since January 2009

 As part of CBP’s responsibility for securing the ports of entry while facilitating legitimate travel, officers at the ports of entry in Arizona have encountered more than 500 potential cases of identity theft that have been turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution since January of this year.

“Identity theft poses some very serious consequences for victims of this crime,” said David Higgerson, Director of Field Operations,  “and because our officers are in a position to uncover attempts at entering the U.S. by utilizing someone else’s identity, we take the responsibility seriously and work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to seek prosecution on all cases we encounter.”

In an effort to ensure legitimate trade and travel, CBP officers check the identity and citizenship of everyone making entry into the United  States to determine their admissibility and intent.  As a result of the intense scrutiny, CBP officers encounter numerous cases of identity theft on a daily basis. Often times, the persons attempting to enter the U.S. in this fashion use documents they have purchased or found that belong to other people and pretend to be that person for the express purpose of gaining entry. Others simply purchase or create a fraudulent document utilizing the identity of another, again to make entry into the United States.

Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United  States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United  States.   Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.

 Here are some helpful tips to avoid identify theft:

√ Shred or burn papers with credit card or bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, etc.;

√ Don't put your Social Security number on anything, unless it is legally required. And don't have it printed on your checks. For those of you with driver licenses that routinely use your Social Security number, check with your DMV to see if they offer another option.

√ Check your credit report once or twice a year to make sure it doesn't have accounts you don't know about.

The major credit reporting agencies are:

•  Equifax -- P.O. Box 105873, Atlanta, Ga. 30348-5873 -- Telephone: 1-800-997-2493;

• Experian Information Solutions (Formerly TRW) -- P.O. Box 949, Allen, Texas, 75013-0949 -- Telephone: 1-800-397-3742, and

• TransUnion -- P.O. Box 390, Springfield, Penn. 19064-0390 -- Telephone: 1-800-916-8800.

If you have been victimized, file a police report. You will need it when disputing charges with various creditors. Also remember to write letters to have erroneous and fraudulent items removed from your credit report.

Stealing mail and papers isn't the only way to get information. Phishing is the newest wave in identity theft. This method uses various online techniques to fool you into providing financial and personal information to people waiting to take advantage of you.

Phishing uses spam, email or pop-up messages to deceive Internet users into disclosing credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords, and other sensitive information.

These e-mails appear to come from a legitimate company, usually a financial institution or credit card issuer, urging you to immediately reply with personal information so your account is not deactivated.

To increase the chances of people falling for this type of scam, they'll even use the company's logo, colors, and standard disclosure text. The e-mail usually will contain a link that takes you to a fake site made to look like the company's legitimate Web site.

Here are some clues that an email is part of a phishing scam:

# Look for misspellings and poor grammar;

# The Web site often does not have ''http://'' in the address bar at the top.

# There generally is an urgent tone or call to action. Phishing e-mails will allude to dire consequences, such as ''your account will be deactivated if you do not respond within 24 hours...''

The Federal Trade Commision works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov, or call toll-free, 1-877-382-4357.