In 1989, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office became the first office in California to successfully introduce D.N.A. "genetic fingerprinting" evidence in a criminal case.


Release Date: April 24, 2008

Contact:    Vinse Gilliam - Deputy Chief Investigator

    (805) 477-1650

 

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that the Ventura County District Attorney's Office has partnered with Community West Bank to help educate the public on the various ways to guard against becoming a victim of identity theft.

 

The crime of identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes of the 21st century and is a major concern to the law enforcement community. To help combat the identity theft problem, the District Attorney has assigned a full-time investigator to exclusively handle these unique cases. During 2007, the District Attorney's Office filed 178 new identity theft cases.

 

For maximum protection against identity theft, individuals are encouraged to keep any personal information about themselves as private as possible. They need to be particularly protective of their social security number, as a social security number is the golden key to identity theft. To avoid having personal information fall into the wrong hands, District Attorney Totten strongly recommends individuals shred any documents they discard that contain any potential personal information. This includes credit card receipts and pre-approved credit applications. This important step alone can offer more protection against identity theft than any other suggestion or recommendation.

To assist individuals and businesses with the proper disposal of documents which contain personal information, Community West Bank is inviting the public to bring their personal documents (limit two boxes per household/business) for secure, on-site shredding to their Ventura branch office located at 1463 South Victoria Avenue, in the Victoria Village Shopping Center on Friday, May 2 nd , from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm. ShredRite trucks will be on-site to provide safe and secure shredding, and individuals can personally observe the shredding of their private documents.

 

Participants will also have the opportunity to pick up valuable information provided by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office that explains measures which can be taken to safeguard against identity theft and fraud.

 

"The financial losses to consumers and businesses are enormous.  As with all crimes, personal protection and education are crucial," stated Lynda Nahra, Community West Bank President & CEO.  "The business community should do their part to increase awareness of situations that can lead to identity theft."