A barking dog, a free annual credit check and a paper
shredder can all help individuals to avoid becoming crime victims, according to Skip Hogberg, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during his visit at Sun City Huntley.

Identity theft, gun control, and common scams were among the topics presented when more than 100 residents attended the hour-long
presentation.

“A dog is better than a security alarm,” said Hogberg. “Even
if that window is covered up and nobody can see (the intruder), the dog starts making noise, and that’s what an intruder doesn’t want.”

Fearing home invasions, some people feel inclined to keep a
gun at their residence, but that can be a risky choice, he explained.

“People ask, ‘Should I get a gun?’ and I say 'no,'” Hogberg
said. “You are 80 percent more likely to be shot with your own gun if you get in a violent confrontation with an intruder.”

Identity theft is a less visible crime that typically nets
$2000 per incident, he said, while the average take in a bank robbery is around $600.

People become vulnerable to identity theft by failing to protect
social security numbers, and even common information that when combined with other personal data can enable a criminal to take financial actions without authorization.

“The social security number is the biggest one, but also
your full name, address, phone number, anything that differentiates you from anyone else (are pieces that criminals can use),” he said. “Once I find your name, I can start doing data mining. That is basically going online and finding what is out there and putting little pieces of information together.”

To ensure identity thieves have not stolen your financial
identities, Hogberg recommends checking credit by requesting a free report annually. Federal law entitles individuals to one free report each year from a credit bureau. However, some online credit monitoring services provide the free credit report, but they also charge an annual fee for monitoring.

Methods of theft can also include what is known as skimming.

“Say for instance a server at a restaurant takes a credit
card for payment…Well they will keep a scanner in their pocket and scan all the credit card info,” Hogberg said. Once that information is retrieved, it can be sold on the street or used to rack up charges. In addition, employees who have access to credit cards or personal information may harvest the credit card
information.

In other instances, it can be stolen from the trash or diverted through the postal system. Criminals might fill out a change-of-address request at the post office and receive bank statements or other financial information that breaches security, he said. After that, identity thieves might take out auto loans or use others’ names during an arrest. Sometimes, criminals affix debit card scanners to an ATM machine, and the fake unit can be deceiving to users, who swipe their card and unknowingly give their information as a result.

Ways to decrease chances of identity theft are to shred any
documents with account numbers, routing numbers, and personal identification numbers. At ATM machines, it's a good idea to give the swiping unit a few tugs just to make sure it's not a temporary swiper.

Also, Hogberg recommends not signing the signature panel on credit
cards. Instead, cardholders should write “Ask for Photo ID” on the strip and ensure that cashiers ask for identification when processing the credit card with the sale.

Hogberg's presentation was held Friday at Sun City's Meadow View Lodge.