Identity theft has become the No. 1 reported crime in America and the state of Montana has numerous Internet sites geared toward protecting its residents, a state official said. One approach identity thieves employ, said Lynn Solomon, public information officer for the Montana Department of Justice, is the direct approach — through the mail, over the phone or via e-mail. It is often accompanied by a get-rich-quick pitch. “What we say here is, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” Solomon said. “If someone calls you and says you won a lottery, you should be suspicious. If someone calls to tell you they’re going to give you money, your antenna should go up.” Solomon said cold calls from strangers claiming to have a resident’s best interests at heart should be taken as a clear tip that it could be a scam. “If I initiate the contact with them, if I call the catalog company and they ask for my information, I’m not so skittish,” Solomon said. “But if they call me or e-mail me from out of the blue and offer to give me money or ask me to pay money to get money, then I should be suspicious.” With the proliferation of quality computers, printers and graphic design software, con artists can make very official looking documents. “A lot of folks can create things that look very official … that look very legit but may not be,” she said. To address the needs of Montanans who are or think they may be victims of identity theft or some other scam, the state offers help toll free at (800) 481-6896. A number of Web sites also exist to help victims: Foreign lotteries: h t t p : / / d o j . M t . G o v / n e w s / releases2006/05182006.asp Holiday scams: h t t p : / / d o j . M t . G o v / n e w s / releases2006/11202006.asp
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