Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR INDETITY
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. It occurs when someone obtains your personal information (Social Security Number, credit card numbers, etc) and uses it to fraudulently apply for credit, make purchases, or withdraw money from your accounts. It seriously jeopardizes your finances and credit standing.

Follow these steps to minimize risk:

• Don't routinely carry social security cards, credit cards you rarely use, or any other non-essential items that contain personal information. Limit the number of credit cards you have and cancel any inactive accounts. Any one of these can give an identity thief access to information and personal data. For example, with your Social Security Number, an identity theif can apply for a credit card or driver's license, access your personal recorsd, and assume your identity.
• Never leave your purse or wallet unattended at work, at restaurants, at health fitness clubs, in your shopping cart, or at parties. Never leave your purse or wallet in open view in your car, even when locked.
• When someone contacts you over the phone or internet, never give them any credit card, financial institution, or social security information.
• When you contact a company, make sure you know the company and the representative before providing any personal information.
• Destroy all checks immediately when you close a checking account. Destroy or keep in a secure place any courtesy, cancelled, or unused checks that your financial institution or credit card company mails to you. Immediately report lost or stolen check to your financial institution.
• Shred all your important papers that you no longer need, especially pre-approved credit applications that you recieve in your name and other financial information that could provide access to your private information. Shred your credit and debt card receipts, too.
• Carefully monitor financial statements (bank, credit union, credit card, investment, etc.) so that you man detect any unauthorized charges or withdrawals as soon as possible. Immediately report unauthorized use to your financial institution or credit card company.
• If regular bills failr to reach you, contact the company to find out why.
• Memorize your passwords and personal indentification number (PINs). Never keep your PIN with your ATM/debit or credit cards and never give out your PIN to anyone. Shield the ATM keypad when entering your PIN. Always request your debit and credit card reciepts and/or carbons, and take your receipts with you.
• Photocopy or list all credit and indetification cars you carry with you. Include both the front and back as wel as corresponding customer service phone numbers so you can quickly contact the issuers to inform them of lost or stolen cards. Keep this information in a secure place (not in your wallet or purse).
• Don't put outgoing mail in your mailbox. Take the time to drop it into a postal service (especially bill payments). Identity thieves can obtain personal informatino by stealing outgoing mail.
• Order a copy of your credit report and check it for accuracy. You can do this online by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. The law requires each bureau to provide you with a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months if you request it.

Although there's no foolproof way to protect yourself from identity theft, these safegaurds make it more difficult for an identity thief to steal your personal information. It's worth the effort to take the precautions.

WHAT TO DO AFTER IDENTITY THEFT?

If you suspect that you're a victim of identity theft (i.e., you notice unauthorized transactions on your credit card or financial institution statements), you need to act as quickly as possible to minimize the damage to your finances and your credit standing.

Here are the steps to take:

• Immediately contact every financial institution you do business with to inform them ofyour situation and to secure your accounts.
• Contact all three major credit bureaus to report the theft:

Equifax............P.O. Box 74024, Atlanta, GA 30374

1.800.525.6285

Experian..........Consumer Fraud Assistance P.O. Box 949 Allen, TX 75013

1.888.397.3742

TransUnion......Fraud Victim Assistance Division P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92634

1.800-680.7289

• As for a Fraud Alert to be placed in your file
• As for a Victim's Statement that tells creditors to call you before opening a new account or changing an existing one.