m * 1 Letters 2_________ WedNEsdAy, FebRUARy 1?, 2002 -Opinion All signed letters to the editor should be 500 words or less and will be considered for publication if submitted by 1 p.m. the Friday prior to publication. Letters to the Editor are subject to editing. We reserve the right to not publish any letter. Identity theft: stealing who you are It’s a dangerous world out there and now it has gotten worse— people’s identities are being stolen from them. Now I haven’t had the misfortune of having my identity stolen from me, thank God, but due to recent re- Say It Loud & Proud! ports by KATU Channel Two News it seems more and more people are being told they are not who they are. Unfortunately, these vandals of one’s identity have found vari­ ous ways to hack into computers, and take valuable, private informa­ tion about a person. In Nov. 2001, Jody Gene Oates, was arrested and charged with identity theft and forgery when authorities seized computer disks that had in­ formation that affected more than 2.5 million Oregonians. However, he was held on a $1,000 bail and re­ leased the next day. The records that were seized held Oregonians with last names beginning A through Z if they had a driver’s li- cense or an identification card. Some sound advice to protect yourself from identity theft is to make copies of everything you have in your purse or wallet including credit cards, sbit cards, driver’s li­ cense, etc. Al­ ways have your credit card telephone numbers somewhere, since they are located on the back of the card if it’s stolen. It’s difficult to get the number. Once your cards or ID has been stolen, report it immediately so you have a police report to fall back on. Cancel all of your credit cards. Call all of the national credit reporting agen­ cies and have them put a fraud alert on your credit report so if anyone tries to obtain credit under your name it will flag your report. They will have to call and get personal authorization from you for any new credit lines. If these tactics are not followed, your identity could disappear and be replaced by someone who is not really you, but got your information and ran withit. Kyndra Needham Jeremy Crooks Major: Psychology Major: Manufacturing "No. I watch my wallet" "No. I usually don't bring my wallet" Photos and quotes compiled by Salena De La Cruz and Maggie Jirasck Brandon Mihaijcic Marvin Noble Major: Criminal Justice Major: General "Na Keep really important documents at home... Watch your stuff." "Yes. Now, I just don't carry my wallet" Editor-in-Chief: Business Managen Maggie Jirasek (x2447) Opinion Editor/Production Coordinator Salena De La Cruz Copy Editor: Allison Gerfin Sports Editor: Elena Bory ska News Editor: Frank Jordan Photo Editor: Mike Pollock 19600 S. M o I a U a A ve . O reqon Cliy, O reqon 97045 (505) 657-6958 cxt 2509 CCCP RlNT@ cUckAMAS.ee. OR . US hTTp://dEpTS.clACkAMAS.CC.OR.US/pRlM Nick Barron (x2578) Webmaster: Luke Mahan Staff: Jennifer Kane Jeff Heilman Willie Hendrix Bryan Davidson Jesse Gurzynski Erinn Leiten Elisabe th Meyer Secretary: A & E Editor: JoAnne Gale Daisy Bain Advisen Patty Mamula (x2310) The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Prim do not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty, or The Clackamas Print advertisers. Products and ser­ vices advertised in The Clackamas Print are not neccesarily endorsed by anyone associated with The Clackamas Print. The advertising rate is $4.75 per column inch. The Clackamas Print is a weekly publication and is distributed every Wednesday except during Finals week. The Clackamas Print Copyright 2002.