Madison – South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson is sponsoring an identity theft forum on Saturday, July 17 in Sioux Falls. Identity theft is a serious crime. It occurs when someone uses your personal information such as a Social Security number or credit card without your permission. People who are victims of this crime can spend months and even years trying to clean up the damage thieves have done to their credit record and, in some cases, to their reputations.

The Identity Theft Forum on Saturday will feature experts from the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Sioux Falls Police Force, the banking community, and Dakota State University. These experts will provide tips on how to keep your personal information safe and what to do if you become a victim of identify theft.

Participating in the forum from Dakota State will be Kevin Streff, Director for the Center for Information Assurance at DSU. Streff has fifteen years of experience implementing and supporting technology in the banking and finance sector, and currently teaches Risk Assessment, Compliance, Security Management, and Security Policy courses for the university in both the undergraduate and graduate Information Assurance programs. Streff also works with banks both large and small to improve the security posture of the banking sector. Dakota State was recently named a national Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education through both the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

The forum begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 17 at the Center for Active Generations in Sioux Falls and is open to the public. Senator Johnson’s will be available for the media from 10:15 to 10:30. More information can be obtained by calling DSU at 605-256-5693.