Northside Public Safety: June 2013 – Identity Theft
As most Americans know by now, crime doesn’t always happen on the streets or in neighborhoods. Identity theft can happen anywhere, especially online.
The Northside Public Safety Council is encouraging Northsiders to check their credit regularly to make sure their identity isn’t being misused.
“Your credit report is your window into your ID security,” said Zone 1 Commander Rashall Brackney. “The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, passed by the Federal government in 2003, mandates that each of the major credit bureaus supply consumers with a free copy of their credit report each year.”
You can get an annual credit report at annualcreditreport.com (American users only), a website run by the credit reporting agencies to comply with this legislation. Your credit report allows you to see whether someone has opened new accounts under your name.
On the Northside in April, there were approximately 498 incidents were reported, which led to approximately 210 arrests.
The Northside Public Safety Council is a nonprofit corporation composed of community leaders, businesses, government officials the Housing Authority, property owners and the Zone 1 Pittsburgh Police.
The Northside Public Safety Committee meets the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. on the mezzanine level of The Northside Leadership Conference’s offices at 4 Allegheny Center. All are welcome.
A useful resource for the community is the Zone 1 website at www.communitysafety.pittsburghpa.gov.
For questions or concerns regarding crime or police presence, contact the Zone 1 Community Relations Officer, Forrest Hodges at forrest.hodges@pittsburghpa.gov. Northside Public Safety: June 2013 – Identity Theft