RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on identity theft in Newport Beach.

Orange County ranks No. 1 in the country in identity theft and fraud. Newport Beach is the No. 1 city in the country for these crimes, according to police, with Beverly Hills and Miami Beach running close behind. Newport is a target because of its affluence and its false sense of security.

What’s even more disturbing than the statistics is that no one is immune.

Newport Beach Police Officer Eric Peterson gave me the opportunity to interview an incarcerated former identity thief, a master criminal who now assists law enforcement. I shuddered when the conversation was over.

He explained to me that today, drugs are the key to gaining access. Gangs use the tools of drugs and guns to compromise people in management positions at government offices, car dealerships, mortgage firms, banks, stores — you name it. They trade mostly methamphetamine for access to credit card information, Social Security numbers, bank accounts, etc. All of your information is up for grabs, and that’s a recipe for success for criminals.

Trying to forge your identity on the Internet is not that simple, but in person, it’s easy. Whoever walks in and can prove they are you can purchase a myriad of things — even a house.

The Internet has sites where you can buy fake driver’s licenses. They look real to the naked eye, and do fool most DMV employees. The criminal takes the fake license to a DMV in another state, gets a legitimate license there and is off and running with your identity.

See someone going door to door with fliers? Be very suspicious. Criminals use this as a cover to reach into mail slots and mail boxes, pulling out your mail looking for just one check with your information on it. That’s all they need.

The informant told me he would go into a mortgage company through a crooked employee and get thousands of mortgage profiles in minutes. Just think about how much paperwork you filled out for your mortgage and what information it contained!

With a new identity, he’d walk in to a high-end car dealership, lease a car, and turn around and sell it on the black market, leaving the victim holding the bag.

He had access to compromised employees in key positions in all sorts of businesses that deal with sensitive personal data. He’d use drugs as bribes and, once they were hooked, they were willing accomplishes. Recreational drug users were the lifeblood of his business.

Think about the last time you went to test drive a car. They made a copy of your license. Did you see someone shred that when you left?

A compromised employee is more than willing to sell that information for drugs, money or a gun.

What’s even more alarming is who is behind this.

In Orange County, a white supremacist gang called PENI is at the top of police lists. They have affiliations with the Arian Brotherhood and Mexican Mafia, something I found strange.

As I sat and listened to this informant, I wanted solutions. How do we protect ourselves? More about those solutions in my next edition of Recipe for Success.

BARBARA VENEZIA is the chairman of the Santa Ana Hts. Redevelopment Project Advisor Committee and was the co-creator of the cooking show “At Home on the Range” with John Crean.