Financial experts are warning people to be on the lookout for cases of identity thieves approaching people using ATMs to steal their IDs or debit cards.
A Korean-American woman surnamed Park who is in her 60s from Koreatown, recently lost nearly $10,000 in identity theft while visiting a Bank of America branch at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Western Avenue.
Park used an ATM in the branch’s parking lot. Then a strange man approached her and told her that she had dropped $20. The man kept talking to her and distracting her.
“When I got in my car and drove home, I realized I hadn’t taken my debit card out of the ATM,” Park said. ”I went back to the bank and found out someone had already taken the money from my debit card, nearly $10,000 in Cashier’s Checks at the branch.”
“The bank told me that they had taken steps to verify my debit card and password. The man at the ATM intentionally approached me to get my passwords and targeted my debit card,” Park said.
Fullerton resident surnamed Kim, in her 70s, also had a similar experience when she visited a bank branch in the Amerige Heights shopping center.
“A man in his 50s dressed in a gentleman’s suit was standing in front of the ATM,” Kim said. ”I came back to my parked car after getting money from the ATM. He came running up panting and said I dropped money and gave it to me. He kept asking me to take out my wallet to check it, and I got a weird feeling and locked my car door.”
Another problem is when a person of similar looks steals a driver’s license or ID especially someone of the same race for financial gain.
A 38-year-old Korean American, who wished to remain anonymous, has been dealing with identity theft for more than a year.
“A Korean-American woman used my ID in my lost wallet to drain my bank account and was caught by the police,” she said. ”But she was soon released on bail and is now posing as me again. The bank let the woman who stole my ID access my account without distinguishing her from me.”
California prosecutors have advised people who have lost their bank checks, and debit cards, and whose account information has been compromised to contact their banks immediately to close their accounts.
It is also advised that you ask to create a new account number and change your passwords. Victims of identity theft can report the theft to local police and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at identitytheft.gov and idtheftcenter.org.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
