PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT
PREVENT IDENTITY THEFTposted: Sunday, March 01, 2009 Prevent ID theft from happening to you 1. All that a thief needs is your name, address, and Social Security number to do damage. If you don't already have one, get a paper shredder. Small, inexpensive ones are available. And use it for any mail you dispose of that contains sensitive information. 2. Once a year, order your credit report from all three credit reporting agencies. Make certain there are no inaccuracies. 3. Read your account and credit card statements as soon as they
arrive. Look for unauthorized transactions. If your bills don't
arrive on time, follow up with creditors. A missing credit card
bill could mean an ID thief has control of your credit card account
and 4. Keep your Social Security number off your checks and driver's license and out of your wallet or purse. Unless absolutely necessary, do not divulge your Social Security number to anyone. 5. Only carry your extra credit cards, birth certifi cate, or passport with you when you need to. Use as few credit cards as you can. 6. Secure personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates or employ outside help of service workers. 7. When you need new checks, order them with your first initial and last name only. A thief won't know how you sign them and will be foiled. 8. Photocopy both sides of your driver's license, ATM, credit, debit, and health insurance cards, and any other items you carry, and put the copies in a safe place. You'll have the phone numbers you'll need in case your wallet or purse is stolen. 9. Don't provide, or confi rm, personal information to a telephone solicitor unless you initiated the call. Before releasing personal data, learn how it is to be used or if it will be shared with others. 10. Retrieve your mail from your box as soon as you can. Keep a lock on it. Put outgoing mail in post office collection boxes. If you're going away for a period of time, call your local post offi ce and request a hold. 11. See about having passwords or extra security protection put on your credit card, credit union, and telephone company accounts. 12. Choose passwords and PINs that are not predictable. Avoid using the last four digits of your Social Security number, your middle name, or birth date. 13. Don't keep passwords or PINs in your purse or wallet. 14. Shield your PIN from curious onlookers when using an ATM. 15. Once a year, order your Social Security Earnings and Benefi ts Statement from the Social Security Administration to verify that your information is accurate. 16. If you plan to provide personal information online, make sure the site displays a locked padlock symbol in the lower right corner of your browser, ensuring it has an encrypted connection. Don't deal with sites that ask for more than your name, address, phone number, and credit card number. 17. Regularly update your virus protection software. 18. Don't download files sent by strangers or click on hyperlinks from e-mail senders you don't know. 19. Install a fire wall program, especially important for a high-speed Internet connection, to prevent hackers from getting to your computer. 20. Be careful about storing financial information on your laptop computer. Often they are stolen for the information they contain. 21. Before you throw out any compact disks, check for any that may contain personal information such as Social Security number or PINs and destroy them. 22. Each of the three major credit reporting agencies has its own credit monitoring service-available for a fee-which sends you e-mail alerts of any credit activity posted to your file. IF YOU ARE A VICTIMNotify your financial institution to contact you if there is any unusual activity on your account. Change your PINs. Contact police in the jurisdiction where the theft took place. File a report and keep a copy for yourself. Call your postmaster if you think the mail was used. Call the fraud divisions of one of the credit reporting agencies and request that a "fraud alert" be placed on your name and Social Security number. Reporting fraud to an agency will require any company or creditor to contact you to authorize any new credit. Ask for copies of your reports. As a victim of identity theft, you'll get them free. Follow up your call with a letter and enclose a copy of the police report. By doing this, you are protected legally should the agencies fail to remove the crime from your record. Call the creditors who opened accounts in your name. Inform them of the identity theft and close the accounts. Get copies of all transactions and applications on the accounts. Contact the Federal Trade Commission at 877-IDTheft. Request and file the ID Theft Affidavit that alerts companies and organizations that may have fraudulent accounts opened in your name. To report identity theft, contact one of these credit
reporting agencies: Experian 888-397-3742 Equifax 800-685-1111 IMPORTANT NUMBERS Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline: For online ID theft: www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ To receive your free credit report by phone, mail or
online: Social Security statement request: Identity Theft Resource Center (non-profit): To report ID theft it is only necessary to call one credit reporting agency. Within 24 hours, each bureau will attach a fraud alert to your credit fi le. The single call also opts you out of all preapproved offers of credit or insurance for two years, and will get you a mailed copy of your credit file.
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PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT
PREVENT IDENTITY THEFTposted: Sunday, March 01, 2009 Prevent ID theft from happening to you 1. All that a thief needs is your name, address, and Social Security number to do damage. If you don't already have one, get a paper shredder. Small, inexpensive ones are available. And use it for any mail you dispose of that contains sensitive information. 2. Once a year, order your credit report from all three credit reporting agencies. Make certain there are no inaccuracies. 3. Read your account and credit card statements as soon as they
arrive. Look for unauthorized transactions. If your bills don't
arrive on time, follow up with creditors. A missing credit card
bill could mean an ID thief has control of your credit card account
and 4. Keep your Social Security number off your checks and driver's license and out of your wallet or purse. Unless absolutely necessary, do not divulge your Social Security number to anyone. 5. Only carry your extra credit cards, birth certifi cate, or passport with you when you need to. Use as few credit cards as you can. 6. Secure personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates or employ outside help of service workers. 7. When you need new checks, order them with your first initial and last name only. A thief won't know how you sign them and will be foiled. 8. Photocopy both sides of your driver's license, ATM, credit, debit, and health insurance cards, and any other items you carry, and put the copies in a safe place. You'll have the phone numbers you'll need in case your wallet or purse is stolen. 9. Don't provide, or confi rm, personal information to a telephone solicitor unless you initiated the call. Before releasing personal data, learn how it is to be used or if it will be shared with others. 10. Retrieve your mail from your box as soon as you can. Keep a lock on it. Put outgoing mail in post office collection boxes. If you're going away for a period of time, call your local post offi ce and request a hold. 11. See about having passwords or extra security protection put on your credit card, credit union, and telephone company accounts. 12. Choose passwords and PINs that are not predictable. Avoid using the last four digits of your Social Security number, your middle name, or birth date. 13. Don't keep passwords or PINs in your purse or wallet. 14. Shield your PIN from curious onlookers when using an ATM. 15. Once a year, order your Social Security Earnings and Benefi ts Statement from the Social Security Administration to verify that your information is accurate. 16. If you plan to provide personal information online, make sure the site displays a locked padlock symbol in the lower right corner of your browser, ensuring it has an encrypted connection. Don't deal with sites that ask for more than your name, address, phone number, and credit card number. 17. Regularly update your virus protection software. 18. Don't download files sent by strangers or click on hyperlinks from e-mail senders you don't know. 19. Install a fire wall program, especially important for a high-speed Internet connection, to prevent hackers from getting to your computer. 20. Be careful about storing financial information on your laptop computer. Often they are stolen for the information they contain. 21. Before you throw out any compact disks, check for any that may contain personal information such as Social Security number or PINs and destroy them. 22. Each of the three major credit reporting agencies has its own credit monitoring service-available for a fee-which sends you e-mail alerts of any credit activity posted to your file. IF YOU ARE A VICTIMNotify your financial institution to contact you if there is any unusual activity on your account. Change your PINs. Contact police in the jurisdiction where the theft took place. File a report and keep a copy for yourself. Call your postmaster if you think the mail was used. Call the fraud divisions of one of the credit reporting agencies and request that a "fraud alert" be placed on your name and Social Security number. Reporting fraud to an agency will require any company or creditor to contact you to authorize any new credit. Ask for copies of your reports. As a victim of identity theft, you'll get them free. Follow up your call with a letter and enclose a copy of the police report. By doing this, you are protected legally should the agencies fail to remove the crime from your record. Call the creditors who opened accounts in your name. Inform them of the identity theft and close the accounts. Get copies of all transactions and applications on the accounts. Contact the Federal Trade Commission at 877-IDTheft. Request and file the ID Theft Affidavit that alerts companies and organizations that may have fraudulent accounts opened in your name. To report identity theft, contact one of these credit
reporting agencies: Experian 888-397-3742 Equifax 800-685-1111 IMPORTANT NUMBERS Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline: For online ID theft: www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ To receive your free credit report by phone, mail or
online: Social Security statement request: Identity Theft Resource Center (non-profit): To report ID theft it is only necessary to call one credit reporting agency. Within 24 hours, each bureau will attach a fraud alert to your credit fi le. The single call also opts you out of all preapproved offers of credit or insurance for two years, and will get you a mailed copy of your credit file.
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