Questions about identity theft answered at free seminar

By Danielle Flood

Five experts in fields ranging from law enforcement to banking are set to appear for the long-awaited lecture, “Identity Theft: Why You Need to Know About It.”

Led by Drew Procaccino, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems, the event will take place Wednesday 2 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center. Light refreshments will be served.

“The lecture will be open to the Rider Community as well as to the public,” Procaccino said.

The major topics to be discussed on Wednesday evening include questions such as: What is identity theft? What are the forms of identity theft? Who is as risk? How can people protect themselves from identity theft? What can be done if someone becomes a victim of identity theft?

The lecture, which has been in the works since last November, will feature a panel of experts from the fields of law enforcement, banking, healthcare and insurance. Each will speak about identity theft as it pertains to his or her field.

One panelist, John LeMasney, writer and manager of instructional technology at Rider, is going to speak about identity theft from a campus perspective.

Information handouts will be available to everyone who attends.

Procaccino will lead the lecture. He will introduce the panelists and the issues that will be covered in the discussion. The panelists will speak from 7-8 p.m., then a question and answer session will follow.

“Identity Theft: Why You Need to Know About It” will be hosted by Rider Center for Business Forensics, which is housed in the College of Business.

Procaccino encourages student involvement on Wednesday’s lecture as he feels identity theft “affects people of all ages from children to the elderly.”

According to Procaccino, college students are not exempt from identity theft so going to the lecture will make them more aware of the dangers of identity theft and the steps they can take to prevent themselves from becoming a victim.

“College students are at risk because they are applying for credit and student loans,” he said.

As the word of the lecture is spreading, Procaccino suggests that students and faculty RSVP by sending an e-mail to sgordon@rider.edu to reserve their spot, but also noted that walk-ins are more than welcome.