Cover Story by Katie Childs His checking account was drained and around $1,500 was stolen.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Cover Stories | Send mail to The Voice Internet hacker steals professor's identity Professor Jongeward's identity was stolen through the Internet, but thieves use several different means. -Thomas Moss, photo The Jongeward family stopped at Grandma's house on their way home from vacation one August day in 2002. Fifteen-year-old Adam headed to the basement to log on to Grandma's computer. What he found on the family eBay account would plague the Jongeward home for months to come. Millions of dollars worth of goods had been bid on under the Jongeward handle and password. Adam found he was now the proud owner of BMWs, go-carts, Hummers, Yachts and an autographed portrait of Tiger Woods, pending payment. He quickly told his dad, Multnomah professor David Jongeward, of his dilemma. The men of the household opted not to tell Mrs. Jongeward until they returned home the next day. But this decision proved disastrous. The family came home to about 20 answering machine messages from eBay sellers wanting their money, and the culprit had continued to bid on more eBay merchandise since the previous night. Professor Jongeward realized that someone had tapped into the family accounts, gotten hold of his username and password and now had complete access to his eBay account, his Paypal account (an online money handling service) and even his checking account. The Jongewards were victims of Internet identity theft. Identity theft is when someone steals a person's personal information (social security number, credit card information, name, etc,) and uses it to commit fraud without the victim's knowledge. The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 made using another person's identity with the intent to commit an unlawful act a federal crime. Portland FBI agent Jay Bienkowski said identity theft is a major issue today. His office receives 30 to 40 identity theft complaints a day. That is just on the federal level. Bienkowski suggested that every victim report identity theft, no matter how small the loss. Most likely though, nothing can be done for small losses. First, a victim should report the theft to his creditors. Second, report the theft to the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. (Find their contact information at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/info.htm.) Third, report the theft to local, state and federal authorities. As soon as Professor Jongeward realized he had been a victim of fraud, he called eBay and froze his account. He also found that his checking account was drained and around $1,500 stolen. One of the messages left on the answering machine gave a clue to the culprit's identity. The thief had given one seller a shipping address and then cancelled the payment. Professor Jongeward filed a report with the Portland police and gave them the suspect's address. It belonged to a youth who attended the same school as Jongeward's son, Adam. The youth was known among schoolmates as a computer hacker. The police confiscated the youth's computer. After that the Jongewards heard nothing for three months. Professor Jongeward described the fall of 2002 as a trip through limbo. During that time his ebay and Paypal accounts remained frozen, and the family was still out $1,500. Bienkowski said authorities do not have the resources or personnel to handle every case of identity theft. His office has five people to deal with white-collar crimes. He said he will not even open an identity theft case without a suspect. Even when he has a suspected thief, Bienkowski examines every case thoroughly and chooses only those cases with a high likelihood of prosecution. Once he does open a case he has a high success rate. After three months, Professor Jongeward received a letter from the District Attorney informing him that the youth was being tried for computer crime, theft and attempted aggravated theft. Select Jongeward family members were asked to be witnesses in the case. The judge in the case had never dealt with online money tracking and did not understand the concept of Paypal. The defending attorney declared all the Jongeward's documents and testimony "just hearsay." The youth's parents were unwilling to concede that he had stolen anything besides video games because they wanted to keep the doors open for appeal, and the police did not have time to search the youth's computer for evidence. Again the Jongeward family waited months to hear the results of the trial. In the end the judge rejected the Jongeward's documents, including the Paypal records, as evidence. Only enough evidence existed to convict the youth of the much lesser charges of computer theft and burglary for stealing video games. "Think of the potential of a computer," Professor Jongeward said. A user starts by playing games, which can become an addiction. Soon the person is asking, "How much can I get away with?" Identity thieves look for someone who is easy to scam, Bienkowski said. He recommended using a paper shredder, keeping a locked mailbox and protecting personal information. He suggested that when people sign up for things, whether over the phone or on the Internet, they should only provide information that is absolutely necessary. "List everything you carry in your wallet," he said, "but don't keep this list in your wallet." Professor Jongeward said he has not changed his computer usage habits, although he is more wary when giving out personal information on the Internet. The computer is an amazing tool, he said, but people can use it for good or for evil. 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