Bay Area is Tops in ID Theft

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- A new survey finds San Francisco ranks number 7 in top cities most at risk for identity theft.

The survey is a compilation of federal statistics released by the Identity Theft Resource Center and Uni-ball pens. San Jose ranked number 13.

“This is statistically something that’s likely to happen to every one of us in the next five to ten years,” said Scott Mitic, a local expert on identity protection and CEO and co-founder of TrustedID, Inc.

TrustedID allows people to protect themselves against identity theft by controlling how and where their personal information is used. Mitic offers safety tips and tells people how they are putting themselves at risk.

“At the top of the list is losing a wallet or losing other physical personal information,” said Mitic.

He recommends carrying as little personal information as possible and freezing your credit report. Mitic also said the Internet age with “phishing” scams and spyware has ushered in a new generation of identity thieves.

“And thirdly, you need to be aware of what your children are doing and how they’re passing around your information online.”

KCBS’ Jeff Bell reports