Erica Sandoval, crime prevention officer for the Hermiston Police Department, knows firsthand what it’s like to be a victim of identity theft.

Money was taken out of her checking account not once, but twice in a short period of time, Sandoval said.

“I still have no idea what happened,” she said. The first time it happened, the thief charged a small amount of money on her card. When that went through, the next transaction was a couple hundred dollars. She did a lot of digging to discover the thief but to no avail.

“I got it down to an ISP but couldn’t track it down to an individual person.”

Thankfully, Sandoval’s bank did not deduct the false charges from her account and she is more cautious about how she uses her card. She said she gets more and more calls from people who have been approached by scam artists, but who realize quickly it is a scam.

“I tell people ‘if it seems to good to be true, it probably is’,” Sandoval said.

Businesses also can do their part to combat losses from identity theft. Sandoval e-mails a Business Watch newsletter periodically to businesses registered for the Business Watch program. The newsletters gives tips for businesses to help solve problems such as stolen checks or counterfeit money.

“Encourage employees to watch for suspicious behaviors and to have a procedure if they suspect someone,” said Sandoval.

If a credit card doesn’t work, people might ask the clerk to key it in, something Sandoval feels is rarely necessary.

“Education is key to stopping identity theft,” Sandoval said. “It takes between 60 and 80 hours to clear up (an identity theft problem).”

Tami Nealy with Lifelock, a company that takes a proactive approach to identity theft, said there are a number of things people can do to ensure their identities are not stolen. If a member of Lifelock – the company has 1.2 million members throughout the U.S. – does have his or her identity stolen, Lifelock guarantees their staff will do all the legwork to take care of the problem. So far, the company has had to make good on the guarantee just 218 times.

“We put up a line of defense,” said Nealy. “We will take on the burden for you” up to $1 million.

There are several things an individual can do to protect his or her identity, she said. One is to send a fraud alert to the three credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. If no fraud has been committed, the credit bureaus will place the fraud alert for 90 days. If fraud has been committed, the fraud alert stays on record for seven years.

“People can do this online or by phone,” Nealy said. “You only have to contact one (credit bureau) and by law, they have to contact the other bureaus.”

One caution, however, Nealy said. Some lenders do not always honor fraud alerts, although she thinks it is in the best interest of the lender to do so to combat fraudulent charges.

Opting out of pre-approved credit cards and other junk mail is another way to combat identity theft. Nealy said to call 1-888-5OP-TOUT (1-888-567-8688). It takes about 5-6 minutes to go through the voice-automated system and it takes 6-8 weeks to see the results, Nealy said.

“Places that you have a card, you will still be solicited,” Nealy said, adding that magazines add people’s names to lists as well. She suggests when a person pays for their magazine subscription to write “do not sell my name or use my name for advertising” on the subscription card.

Every consumer is entitled to a free credit report once a year. However, Nealy said, a person can obtain a credit report three times a year by requesting the report from each credit bureau. She suggests doing a credit check in January, another in April and perhaps another in the fall to help combat identity theft. People can request a credit report from the credit bureau’s Web sites.

At the end of January, all employers are required to send out W2 forms to their employees for tax purposes. Nealy said mailbox thieves take advantage of the situation and people can have their identities stolen. She suggests either having an employer hand deliver W2s or for people to have a locking mailbox.

“They (thieves) know they (W2s) are coming,” Nealy said.

Other precautions people can take are to buy a shredder and shred everything.

“It is not going to be enough to rip it (an envelope) in fourths,” Nealy said. “People can tape those pieces together. It needs to be shredded. Let’s make this impossible for thieves.”

Another suggestion is taking your Social Security card out of your wallet. The card does say not to carry it on your person, but many people do, Nealy said. She also suggests making a copy of your Medicare and Medicaid cards, which often has a Social Security number on it, put it in a safe place and blank out the number on the copy. Carry the copy to the doctor’s office, she said, especially since the doctor already has your Social Security number.

“We will also cover medical identity theft,” Nealy said of Lifelock. “However you’re effected, that guarantee will be taken care of.”

The cost for using Lifelock is $10 a month or $110 for a year per adult identity. Children’s identities can be insured as well for $2.50 a month or $25 a year per child. Nealy said identify thieves are becoming savvy enough to use children’s Social Security numbers with a false birth date to get credit. The Social Security card does not indicate a person’s age, making it easy for identity thieves to use a child’s card.

“We are seeing a lot of illegals building credit in children’s names,” Nealy said.

For more information on Lifelock, visit the Web site at www.lifelock.com or call 1-800-543-3562. To contact Sandoval, call 667-5112.