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More Consumer Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft
Manage Your Mailbox
- Do not leave
bill payment envelopes clipped to your mailbox or inside with the
flag up; criminals may steal your mail and change your address.
- Know your billing
cycles, and watch for any missing mail. Follow up with creditors if
bills or new cards do not arrive on time. An identity thief may have
filed a change of address request in your name with the creditor or
the post office.
" Carefully review your monthly accounts, credit card statements
and utility bills (including cellular telephone bills) for unauthorized
charges as soon as you receive them. If you suspect unauthorized use,
contact the provider's customer service and fraud departments immediately.
- When you order
new checks, ask when you can expect delivery. If your mailbox is not
secure, then ask to pick up the checks instead of having them delivered
to your home.
- Although many
consumers appreciate the convenience and customer service of general
direct mail, some prefer not to receive offers of pre-approved financing
or credit. To "opt out" of receiving such offers, call (888)
5 OPT OUT sponsored by the credit bureaus.
- The Direct Marketing
Association offers services to help reduce the number of mail and
telephone solicitations. To join their mail preference service, mail
your name, home address and signature to: Mail Preference Service,
Direct Marketing Association, P. O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.
Check Your Purse or Wallet
- Never leave your purse or wallet unattended - even for a minute.
- Protect your PINs (don't carry them in your wallet!) and passwords;
use a 10-digit combination of letters and numbers for your passwords
and change them periodically.
- Carry only personal identification and credit cards you actually
need in your purse or wallet. If your I.D. or credit cards are lost
or stolen, notify the creditors immediately, and ask the credit bureaus
to place a "fraud alert" in your file.
- Keep a list of all your credit cards and bank accounts along with
their account numbers, expiration dates and credit limits, as well
as the telephone numbers of customer service and fraud departments.
Store this list in a safe place.
- If your state uses your Social Security number as your driver's
license number, ask to substitute another number.
Keep Your Personal Numbers Safe and Secure
- When creating passwords and PINs (personal identification numbers)
do not use any part of your Social Security number, birth date, middle
name, wife's name, child's name, pet's name, mother's maiden name,
address, consecutive numbers, or anything that a thief could easily
deduce or discover.
- Ask businesses to substitute a secret alpha-numeric code as a password
instead of your mother's maiden name.
- Shield the keypad when using ATMs or when placing calling card calls.
- Memorize your passwords and PINs; never keep them in your wallet,
purse, Rolodex or electronic organizer.
- Get your Social Security number out of circulation and release it
only when necessary -- for example, on tax forms and employment records,
or for banking, stock and property transactions.
- Do not have your Social Security number printed on your checks,
and do not allow merchants to write your Social Security number on
your checks. If a business requests your Social Security number, ask
to use an alternate number.
- Never give your Social Security number, account numbers or personal
credit information to anyone who calls you.
Bank, Shop and Spend Wisely
- Store personal information in a safe place and shred or tear up
documents you don't need. Destroy charge receipts, copies of credit
applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements, expired
charge cards and credit offers you get in the mail before you put
them out in the trash.
- Cancel your unused credit cards so that their account numbers will
not appear on your credit report.
- When you fill out a loan or credit application, be sure that the
business either shreds these applications or stores them in locked
files.
- Tear up receipts, bank statements and unused pre-approved credit
card offers and convenience checks before throwing them away.
- When possible, watch your credit card as the merchant completes
the transaction.
- Use credit cards that have your photo and signature on the front.
Sign your credit cards immediately upon receipt.
- Carefully consider what information you want placed in the residence
telephone book and ask yourself what it reveals about you.
- Keep track of credit card, debit card and ATM receipts. Never throw
them in a public trash container. Tear them up or shred them at home
when you no longer need them.
- Ask businesses what their privacy policies are and how they will
use your information: Can you choose to keep it confidential? Do they
restrict access to data?
- Choose to do business with companies you know are reputable, particularly
online.
- When conducting business online, use a secure browser that encrypts
or scrambles purchase information and make sure your browser's padlock
or key icon is active.
- Don't open e-mail from unknown sources. Use virus detection software.
Review Your Information
- Order a copy of your credit report from the three credit reporting
agencies every year and make sure all the information is correct,
especially your name, address, and Social Security number. Look for
indications of fraud, such as unauthorized applications, unfamiliar
credit accounts, credit inquiries and defaults and delinquencies that
you did not cause.
- Check your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement once
each year to make sure that no one else is using your Social Security
number for employment.
Protect Your Financial Identity
Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing types of financial fraud.
Without stealing your wallet, a crook can steal your financial identity
with as little information as your social security number. It is also
called "account-takeover fraud" or "true-name fraud,"
and it involves crooks' assuming your identity by applying for credit,
running up huge bills and stiffing creditors - all in your name.
Take these steps to protect yourself:
1. Get a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit
bureaus every year. It lists all of the lines of credit in your name. Check
to be sure that everything is accurate, that all of the accounts are yours and
that accounts you have requested to be closed are marked closed. Consumers are
entitled to one free credit report per year.
To order credit bureau reports, call:
- Trans Union Credit Services 800-888-4213
- Equifax Credit Services 800-685-1111
- Experian Credit Services 888-397-3742
2. Keep an eye on your accounts throughout the year by reading
your monthly/periodic statements thoroughly. That's an easy way for
you to be sure that all of the activity in your accounts was initiated
by you.
3. Tear up or shred pre-approved credit offers, receipts and
other personal information that link your name to account numbers. Don't
leave your ATM or credit card receipt in public trash cans. Crooks (a.k.a
dumpster divers) are known to go through trash to get account numbers
and other items that will give them just enough information to get credit
in your name.
4. If your credit card or other bills are more than two weeks
late, you should do three things: First, contact the Postal Service
to see if someone has forwarded your mail to another address. Second,
contact your bank to ask if the statement or card has been mailed. Third,
contact the businesses that send you bills.
5. When you pay bills, don't put them in your mailbox with the
red flag up. That's a flashing neon light telling crooks to grab your
information. Use a locked mailbox or the post office.
6. Protect your account information. Don't write your personal
identification number (PIN) on your ATM or debit card. Don't write your
social security number or credit card account number on a check. Cover
your hand when you are entering your PIN number at an ATM.
7. Don't carry your Social Security card, passport or birth
certificate unless you need it that day. Take all but one or two credit
cards out of your wallet, and keep a list at home of your account information
and customer service telephone numbers. That way, if your wallet is
lost or stolen, you'll only have to notify a few of your creditors and
the information will be handy.
8. Never provide personal or credit card information over the
phone, unless you initiated the call. Crooks are known to call with
news that you've won a prize and all they need is your credit card number
for verification. Don't fall for it. Remember the old saying, "if
it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
- More Tips to Protect Your Financial Identity
Take action if you are a victim:
1. Financial fraud is a crime; call your local police department.
2. Contact the fraud units of all three credit bureaus. Ask
them to "flag" your account, which tells creditors that you
are a victim of identity fraud. Also, add a victim's statement to each
of your credit bureau reports that asks creditors to contact you in
person to verify all applications made in your name. Call the fraud
units of the credit bureaus at:
- Trans Union Fraud Assistance Department 800-680-7289
- Equifax Fraud Assistance Department 800-525-6285
- Experian Fraud Assistance Department 888-397-3742
3. Call the Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft hotline at 1
(877) IDTHEFT. The hotline is staffed by counselors trained to help
ID theft victims. Check out the FTC Web Site, which includes an Identity
Theft Affadavit to help simplify the process of clearing up accounts
opened by an identity thief.
4. Notify your banks. They can help you obtain new account numbers
for all of your checking, savings and other accounts. Be sure to pick
a new PIN number for your ATM and debit cards. Close all of your credit
card accounts and open with new account numbers.
5. Notify the Postal Inspector if you suspect mail theft - a
felony.
6. Depending on your situation, you may want to contact the
Social Security Administration to get a new Social Security number.
Their telephone number is 800-772-1213. You also may want to contact
your telephone, long distance, water, gas and electrical companies to
alert them that someone may try to open an account in your name.
7. Finally, make sure to maintain a log of all the contacts
you make with authorities regarding the matter. Write down each person's
name, title, and phone number in case you need to re-contact them or
refer to them in future correspondence.
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