As we honor the sacrifices made by past, current and future members of our nation’s military, we may be unaware of the extent to which these brave soldiers put their entire lives on the line. In addition to risking their physical safety and emotional well-being, the members of the US military also may incur the damage of another large piece of their collective livelihood: their identities. For a variety of reasons, military personnel are often targeted by identity thieves and victimized during deployment or upon their return home.

Take David Hernandez, for instance, who can trace his identity theft case back to his military deployment in Japan. Upon returning home to Chicago from his service overseas, David received a billing notice for the repayment of a $4,500 loan that had been fraudulently borrowed in his name. He also had a credit record showing over 20 fraudulent phone, credit and medical accounts that were unfamiliar to David, and was being contacted for back child support he did not owe. In addition, David discovered outstanding arrest warrants in the state of Illinois from crimes that were committed in his name while he was deployed. David’s nightmare climaxed when his wages were garnished as a result of this identity theft.

David sought the help of an identity theft protection and resolution company, which discovered even more crimes against his identity. They revealed that his identity was probably compromised as a direct result of his military service and the frequent disclosure of his identifying information throughout his active duty. Personal details, such as his Social Security number, were often posted in public view, and were widely used for military identification. In addition to publicly posted transfer orders and bunk assignments, government-issued military ID cards display Social Security numbers directly on the cards.

After time spent dedicating their lives to serving their country, the last thing our military veterans should have to face is the aftermath of identity theft. While protocol and military procedures may make soldiers more vulnerable, there are a few things that individuals can do to protect themselves from identity theft, particularly preceeding deployment overseas:

• Place an active duty alert on your credit files. This free alert is similar to a fraud alert, in that it is meant to avert thieves from opening fraudulent credit accounts in your name, but lasts for up to a year without renewals.
• Set up a Limited Power of Attorney with a trusted individual before you depart, so that your financial affairs will be taken care of in your absence.
• Closely guard your military ID and any other documents containing your personal information, especially your Social Security number.
• Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity online as often as possible, but never from a connection that may not be secure. It may be more convenient to invest in a service that monitors this activity on your behalf.
• Have your mail routed to a P.O. box that you check immediately upon your arrival home.

It is an unfortunate reality that our nation’s service men and women are especially vulnerable to the country’s fastest-growing crime, and taking measures to prevent it are key for the protection of our military personnel.