RUMFORD – People may be casing out your home in more ways than imagined. Thieves have also figured out lots of methods to steal your identity.

Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe and longtime law enforcement officer and Wayne Gallant presented a program Wednesday afternoon offering ways to discourage thieves of both peoples’ belongings and their identities.

Be vigilant, was perhaps the strongest advice both Rowe and Gallant could give the small crowd gathered at Rumford Public Library.

Gallant, a former Rumford Police Department lieutenant and now chief of the Wilton Police Department as well as a candidate for Oxford County sheriff, is also involved in the property task force, an organization that aims to help prevent thefts and burglaries from homes.

Among his suggestions:

• inventory all valuables with model numbers and other identifying information because if something is stolen, this will make it easier to retrieve;

• make the home look occupied when the owners are away by installing timers on at least two lights that turn on at different times; ask a neighbor to move a car in the yard every day or two; arrange for someone to pick up mail and newspapers; leave a radio or television on; post “Beware of Dog” signs;

• install a motion light, rather than leaving the porch light on all the time;

• don’t talk prescriptions at the druggist because sometimes potential thieves are listening to these conversations; and

• ask a neighbor to stay at the home of a deceased person while family members are attending visiting hours or the funeral;

Rowe said older people are often the target of identity theft because of their good credit ratings. To avoid a theft, he suggested:

• never give out Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or other important information over the telephone or Internet unless the individual initiates the contact;

• give out credit card numbers to only those businesses that are known;

• watch out for fraudulent lotteries that ask for money in order to get money; be wary of charity scams and give to your church, the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross or other known groups;

• talk only with people who are trusted in handling investments;

• once an individual pays his or her bills, all paperwork should be placed out of sight or shredded; credit card applications should also be destroyed;

• don’t click on unsolicited e-mails, update computer spyware and don’t use obvious passwords because many thieves can figure them out;

• never lend credit cards to others, including family members; carry only credit cards that are used frequently, leave home those that are seldom used, and cancel those that are not used;

• keep a record of all bank account numbers in a safe place at home; and

• regularly inspect credit reports because there could be errors, and sometimes items appear on such records that the owner did not do.

Victims of identity theft should:

• call fraud alert immediately at 1-800-525-6285;

• close all accounts that may have been tampered with;

• file a police report as proof that the individual did not run up the charges; and

• report theft to the Federal Trade Commission.

The presentation was one in a series being held throughout Oxford County.