ID theft workshop in San Francisco

Staying true to their mission of providing multilingual services that help Chinese immigrants adapt to life in the US, the Chinese Newcomers Service Center hosted an identity theft workshop on January 26, 2008 at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in San Francisco. The purpose of the workshop, organized by the agency’s Executive Director Anthony Ng, was to educate new Chinese working families on the tax consequences of identity theft, as well as strategies for prevention and the cleanup process for fraud victims. Led by Consumer Action’s Community Outreach Manager Jamie Woo and John Tam of the Internal Revenue Service, the workshop provided participants with tips, tools and information on identity theft and other wealth-depleting scams. Identity theft—or ID theft—occurs when an imposter uses your personal information, such as your Social Security number, to commit fraud or other crimes. An identity thief is an imposter who assumes another person’s identity in order to profit illegally or because the thief wants to hide behind a new identity. Throughout the training, Woo engaged the crowd in interactive activities designed by the outreach team to make the learning experience both fun and memorable. To help continue spreading the message about ID theft, Woo also offered participants crucial information and skills necessary to prepare them for doing their own train-the-trainer presentations. Utilizing Consumer Action’s MoneyWi$e module on ID Theft and Account Fraud, Woo’s presentation included the following topics: an overview of ID theft and account fraud, how to prevent ID theft, advice for victims and helpful ID theft resources that can be used to find more information or to file complaints. The MoneyWi$e curriculum is the direct result of a partnership between Consumer Action and Capital One to assist organizations throughout the country with their financial literacy programs. To learn more about MoneyWi$e, visit the websit www.money-wise.org. The Chinese Newcomers Service Center is a long-term partner in Consumer Action’s network of nonprofits. The agency serves 1,000 or more Chinese families annually and often distributes Consumer Action’s free financial literacy information. Consumer Action’s materials are used on a regular basis to triage various issues facing newly arrived immigrants.