Identity Theft Alert

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Grand Forks Police are seeing an increase in identity theft and attempted identity thefts.

They’re associating it with tax season and those pesky phone calls asking for personal information.

Identity thieves do not care how old you are.

UND student Allison Wanner says, “I’ve seen a lot of things on Facebook about people getting calls from people claiming to be with the IRS.”

It can affect people you work with.

Grand Forks resident Stacy Evens says, “One of my team members actually had his social security number used. I figure it was probably a key–stog(?) but he was reported deceased.”

And it can even affect members of your family. Benno Evens’ 14–year–old son was targeted.

Grand Forks resident Benno Evens says, “We were contacted a few months ago that someone was trying to open a new cell phone account under his social security number

Identity theft can happen to anyone so fraud prevention is crucial.

Criminal Investigation Lt. Brett Johnsons says, “I think the biggest thing is to just be diligent in keeping track of your bank account and your credit card accounts. And if you notice anything fishy take steps right away because the longer you wait the worse it can get.”

Tax season is a big time for scammers. Watch for fake IRS emails and unexpected calls from someone claiming to be an IRS agent. They do not call and make threats.

Johnsons adds, “If they have money coming back and to be honest I’m not sure how they’re getting the money. If they’re direct depositing it into a secondary false account or having a check mailed to a false address.”

If you see suspicious activity you can have a credit bureau put a fraud alert on your account. You can also call your local law enforcement to report instances of fraud.