Identity Theft Hits Veteran Lawman

January 2008


Arvin Clar has spent the last 25 years hunting down identity thieves as a financial crimes investigator for the Cleveland (Ohio) Police Department. He has traveled the world giving speeches to major banks and credit card companies about ways to protect themselves, and their customers, from identity crimes. He has interviewed criminals in prison, in their homes and in their secret hideouts.
   
“I talk to bad guys all the time,” says Clar, 57. “I know how smart they are.”
   
But even with all his knowledge of the ins and outs of financial crime, the veteran detective has not been able to protect himself and his family from becoming identity theft targets. In fact, Clar has been victimized three separate times. “And if somebody wants to hit me again, they could do it in a heartbeat,” Clar says.
   
The first time Clar’s identity was stolen, 12 years ago, the crime was committed at a Chinese restaurant in the Las Vegas airport. Standing behind a partition, an employee double-swiped Clar’s American Express card, once to clear Clar’s purchase and a second time to operate the employee’s own credit card machine. “Until two years ago, you could buy those credit card readers at Radio Shack,” says Clar.
   
After returning home from his Vegas vacation, Clar received a call from American Express. Strange things had happened to his account. First, shortly after Clar paid for his meal at the Chinese restaurant, someone charged a $50 meal at another of the airport’s restaurants. “That was just the test run, to see if the account was any good,” Clar says.
   
The next charge was for $9,800 at a strip club in Beijing.
   
“This lady is asking me if I’ve ever been to Beijing,” Clar says. “And I’m like, ‘Lady, I can’t even spell Beijing!’” The fraudulent charges were removed from Clar’s account.
   
Eight years later, Clar was in Florida leading an identity theft seminar for bank security executives. During his stay, he visited a gift shop, where an employee asked whether he was visiting on business or pleasure. “And because I’m an idiot, I say ‘business,’” Clar says. “So he double-swiped my card. I’m sure of it.”
   
After the security conference was over, Clar was waiting to leave when his wife called to ask whether he had paid the Chase bill. She had just heard from the bank. Five minutes later, a Chase Bank fraud investigator called.
   
The investigator asked: Had Clar stayed at the Renaissance Hotel? Yes, Clar said. Did he eat dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville? Yes. Did he buy a dozen laptop computers and mail them to Moscow?
   
He did not.
   
Clar was in the airport awaiting his flight, he had no cash in his wallet, and he was starving. He pleaded with the Chase investigator to hold off discontinuing the card for half an hour so he could buy some food. The bank representative told him no, the account would be closed immediately. “I like Chase,” Clar says. “They’re one of the best companies out there for fraud prevention.”
   
Last year, someone stole Clar’s identity a third time. Clar’s wife charged a $122 purchase at the mall. When the bill came, there was another charge for $80 at the same mall for something his wife never bought. Clar called his credit card company. “The credit card company gave me my money back,” Clar says. “But nothing ever happened after that. They didn’t bother to look into it.”

It’s best just to try your best

If a detective who chases identity thieves for a living can’t protect himself, odds are you can’t either.

“I know these guys, and I’m always in awe of them,” Clar says. “The amount of talent they have is unbelievable. They can take me any day of the week. And you better believe it, they can take you too.”
   
Now that he’s been hit three times, Clar begins every morning by logging on to all his credit, savings and investment accounts and inspecting them for fraud. “Even then, if somebody wants to get me, they’ll get me,” Clar says.
   
Still, there are some sensible steps you can take to minimize your risk of having your identity stolen, Clar says. These include:

• Call your bank and credit card company and instruct them not to send any blank checks in the mail along with your statement. This common business practice is easily exploited by an identity thief, who can steal a check from the mail and write it to cash. “Of all the dumb things that banks do, sending those checks in the mail is the absolute dumbest,” Clar says.
• Most people don’t want to check their accounts for fraud every day, but it’s a good practice to check them at least once a month while paying your bills. Most victims don’t discover their identities have been stolen for months after the crime occurs, which gives thieves time to cause more damage. “I watch my accounts like a hawk,” says Clar.
• Whenever possible, pay in cash. If you must pay with credit cards or checks, be aware of your surroundings. Credit cards can be double-swiped, and checks can be counterfeited to raid your accounts. “Any time you pay with a credit card or a check, that’s your DNA you’re giving out, folks,” Clar says.
• When surfing online, don’t be a sucker. Americans can’t legally win the Canadian lottery. Russian brides should be able to buy their own ticket to the United States. And if a deposed Nigerian finance minister really has $4 million he needs to spirit out of the country, don’t you think he’d call a few friends before e-mailing you? “Here’s the bottom line,” Clar says. “If somebody online asks you to use Western Union or Money Gram, just walk away.”