IUPD: Solicitors probably not a threat

Students who filled out credit card applications handed out by unregistered solicitors on campus might be safe after all, the IU Police Department said as it continues its investigation.\nBut to be safe, IUPD Detective Greg McClure said students should check their credit reports.\nFour individuals were thrown off campus Thursday after illegally soliciting information from students.\nIndianapolis-based J.N.S Advertising has been identified as the employer of the salespersons removed from IU last week, McClure said. J.N.S. hired people to solicit credit applications for a third company, E.M.C., in Cherry Hill, N.J. \nAfter speaking with representatives from both companies, McClure believes the information reached its proper destination. During the transfer of papers from Bloomington to New Jersey, McClure believes no identity theft occurred.\n"According to J.N.S., they don't transfer the information to another sheet," McClure said. "They send the first copy. So, there's probably nothing to worry about … the information probably reached its destination."\nJust before 11 a.m. Thursday several students called IUPD to tell them the suspects were on the south side of the Indiana Memorial Union soliciting credit card applications. Upon further investigation, McClure and other investigators received varying stories from the suspects regarding the reason for soliciting and where the information they were collecting was to be sent.\nSome students were told that the credit card applications were part of a class project, while others were told points were given to the salesperson to purchase books for school, McClure said. A small percentage of those students who filled out applications were told the truth, McClure said.\n"At first we wanted to see if (the solicitors) were legitimate," he said. "After discovering what company they worked for, we discovered that they weren't registered to be on campus. It was then that we issued them trespass orders." \nThough none of the salespersons are students, they did receive money for each application they collected and submitted. \nJ.N.S. manager Jim Sarantos told McClure that J.N.S. maintains a code of ethics and the solicitors were violating the code.\nInformation obtained by J.N.S. was being supplied to E.M.C., which then distributed the information to several credit institutions -- namely banks like Commerce Bank, Citibank and Bank of America.\nMcClure said spokespersons from both companies deemed the methods of collection improper. He also said he would encourage those concerned about applications to contact different agencies.\n"Several people were misled on campus … I would recommend that they check their credit bureau to see if an inquiry has been made on their credit," McClure said. \nSeveral students contacted the IDS Thursday after reading a story in which a student reported the possible theft of her identity by credit card solicitors at Ballantine Hall.\nFor freshman Jose Rivera, filling out the credit card application was not something he said he wanted to do wholeheartedly.\n"About two weeks ago, I was studying in Ballantine when this lady carrying a folder approached me," Rivera said. "She said she worked for a company out of Indy, and asked me if I wanted to apply for a credit card. Initially, I didn't want to apply because I already have a card. But, she kept talking to me saying she gets some credit for having applications filled out. I felt pressured to sign up. Then last week, Bank of America called me and I canceled the card"