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http://depts.clackamas.cc.or.us/print
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
Clackamas Community College
Orégon City, Oregon
Volume XXXVI, Issue
Protect your identity
MAGGIE JIRASEK
Editor-in-Chief
More and more people
are becoming the victims of
identity theft, a crime in
which an individual steals
someone else’s identity and
impersonates that person in
order to open credit card ac
counts, rent apartments,
even engage in criminal acts.
According to Equifax, a
consumer-reporting agency,
identity theft is one of the
fastest-growing crimes in
America and has become a
national crisis. It is estimated
that there are between
500,000 to 700,000 identity
theft victims a year.
Identity thieves steal key
pieces of individual’s iden
tities such as Social Security
numbers, driver’s license
numbers, credit card num
bers, ATM cards or tele
phone calling cards. They
use a variety of ways to gain
this personal information, in
cluding stealing people’s
mail, “Dumpster diving”,
stealing wallets and purses,
grabbing information off
internet sites that are not se
cure and completing a
“change of address form” at
the post office.
The effects of identity
theft can be devastating. In
most cases, once the crime is
discovered, the thief has al
ready wrecked the victim’s
credit stand-
ing. Oftentimes, victims are
left with a damaged credit
standing and spend months
or evpn years trying to re
gain
MIKE POLLOCK / Clackamas Print
An estimated 500,000 and 700,000people become
victims of identity theft every year. Identity thieves steal
key pieces of individual's Identities such as Social
Security card numbers, driver's license numbers, ATM
cards and calling cards.
their credit-worthiness.
Clackamas student Crys
tal Castleman had an expe
rience with identity thieves
herself.
“In October, my car was
broken into and they stole
my purse. I had all my
cards and everything in
there. Although I can
celed my account, the
thieves were still able
to use my cards and
write checks. It has af
fected me financially. I am
still paying off overdraw
fees,” said Castleman. “If
something like this happens
over the weekend and you
have to wait until Mon
day to cancel your bank
account, it can hurt
you pretty bad. I’m re
ally careful now.”
Equifax points out
that “(p)revention is the
first step in battling iden
tity theft.” There are some
guidelines you can follow
to minimize the risk of
someone stealing your
identity:
♦Carry only the cards that
you need to have with you
♦ Sign your credit cards im
mediately
♦Do not carry a social se
curity card with you.
♦Do not attach a PIN num
ber to any cards you carry
with you
♦Shred any document that
contains your credit card*
number before you discard it
♦Alert your card issuer if
you do not receive your state
ments
♦Frequently check your
credit report
If you are a victim of
identity theft, there are a
few steps you should follow
immediately: file a report
with your local police or
the police where the theft
took place; close accounts
that have been fraudulently
accessed or opened; and
contact the security depart
ments of the appropriate
creditors or financial insti
tutions.
There are three major
credit bureaus: Experian (for
merly TRW), Equifax and
Trans Union. In case of an
identity theft, you should
call the fraud units of the
three companies. You can
reach them at 1-800-525-6285
(Equifax), 1-888-397-3742
(Experian) or 1-800-680-7289
(Trans Union).
Donors give Red Cross a shot in the arm
ELISABETH MEYER
Staff Writer
A combination of good organi
zation and more than enough do
nors boosted collections above
ASG's goal for Monday's blood
drive.
Meeting the 45-pint mark sug
gested by the Red Cross
would’ve been accomplishment
enough; the fall drive didn’t quite
reach its goal. Jenny Lowe, one
of the ASG officers who is orga
nizing the drive, attributed the
shortfall of the fall drive to people
forgetting their commitment
“Last time, I reminded (donors)
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News...Pages 4
Feature...Pages 5
A & E...Pages 6-7
V-Day...Page 8-9
Sports...Pages 10-11
The End...Page 12
right before Thanksgiving
break,” Lowe said. “They had a
whole week to forget”
A difference that elementary is
often crucial, said the collection
team’s head nurse, Barbara Wil
son.
“Something as simple as bad
weather or a holiday can keep
people from coming out,” she
said. But even under good cir
cumstances, turnout isn’t stellar.
“We figure about 50 percent of
people who sign up actually
show up,” she added.
Wilson called the drive “won
derful” and attributed the suc
cess to ASG’s efforts in arrang
ing the event and reminding
pledgers to keep their appoint
ments. “We were over goal. We
wanted 45 pints, we’ll have at
least 65... that’s awesome,” she
said. “Jennifer (Lowe) did a great
job.”
Many of Monday’s donors
hadn’t donated in the fall drive.
In October, the Red Cross added
regulations about mad cow dis
ease to its restrictions on dona
tion. Potential donors who have
spent six months or more in Brit
ain and Western Europe in the
past 20 years are now ineligible.
Other stringent regulations,
besides the obvious blood-trans
mitted disease and noninfectious
blood disease issues such as
Kreutzfeld-Jakob disease or he
mophilia, include simply being in
good health and having ad
equate iron.
The Red Cross requires the
iron level in blood to be higher
than necessary for good health
to give blood. When a would-be
donor barely missed the stan
dard, Collection Assistant Joan
Dembach reassured her, “It
doesn’t mean you’re anemic. You
just wouldn’t feel good if you do
nated.”
Volunteer Al Crompton said
that of die 10 percent who are typi
cally deferred, a few have colds.
Most have low iron levels.
“What you need,” he joked, “is a
good stout Guinness. Eat liver,
eat green vegetables, and drink
dark beer.”
Dembach agreed that diet
makes a difference in iron level,
which fluctuates radically for
women. “It’s all about the (iron
rich) Cream of Wheat,” she said.
Wilson noted that drives at col
leges and high schools are fre
quently more successful than
drives at other locations because
“...you (students) are young,
MAGGIE JIRASEK / Clackamas Print
Tiffany Risinger is one of many Clackamas students who
volunteered to donate blood last Monday, Feb. 11, In the
Gregory Forum. The event was coordinated by the ASG.
enthusiastic, and you want to
give something.. .that’s part of
what makes medicine and nurs
ing so fun.”
Despite the drive’s success,
Lowe still seems to have bigger
things in mind.
“With 27,000 students at
Clackamas, you’d think more
would donate," she mused Fri
day. "I know some of them are
transfer students, but really.”
13