Minimizing Your Risk of Identity Theft

Identity theft is a serious crime that is on the rise. It occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. There are no guarantees that your identity will never be stolen, but you can minimize your risk by safeguarding your personal information and paying attention to possible signs of identity theft.

Safeguard Your Personal Information

Below are some steps to follow to help safeguard your personal information:

• Memorize your Social Security Number (SSN), passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs)- don't carry them with you
• Shred or destroy unwanted documents that contain personal information such as charge receipts, credit offers and applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements and expired charge cards
• Don't give out personal information and credit card or bank account numbers on the phone, through regular mail or e-mail, or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact, you know who you are dealing with, or the Web address (URL) begins with "https"
• Keep your purse, wallet and items that contain personal information in a safe place at home
• Match your credit card receipts against your monthly bills and check your monthly bank statements for accuracy - some fraudulent transactions involve small dollar amounts
• Annually review your credit reports for accuracy
• Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately
• Opt-out of receiving preapproved offers of credit or insurance at OptOutPrescreen.com or call 1-888-567-8688
• If you don't have a locked mailbox, put your outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or take it to your local post office and promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it has been delivered
• Never click on links sent in unsolicited e-mail
• Do not use easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number for PINs or passwords
• Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer; visit OnGuardOnline.gov for more information

Signs of Identity Theft

Watch for signs of identity theft. The quicker you catch it, the less likely you'll incur a major hassle or expense. Follow up with creditors if any of the following occur:

• Your bills don't arrive on time, which could mean that an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address
• You receive unexpected credit cards or account statements
• You are denied credit for no apparent reason
• You receive calls or letters about purchases you did not make
• You notice inaccuracies or unauthorized transactions on your credit reports (visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com to order your free credit reports each year)
• You notice charges on your financial account or billing statement that you did not make

Steps to Take if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

If you are the victim of identity theft, you should follow the steps below to minimize the damage:

• Contact the fraud departments of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) and request that a fraud alert be placed on your credit file
• Close accounts (credit, bank, ATM and phone) that have been tampered with and open new ones with new PINs and passwords
• File a police report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place
• Contact the FTC at 1-877- 438-4338 or use the FTC's online ID Theft Complaint form
• If the US Mail is involved, call your nearest Postal Inspection Service office or report identity theft on-line using the US Postal Inspection Service Identity Theft Complaint Form
• If you suspect that someone else is using your SSN for work purposes, you should contact the Social Security Administration to report the problem
• If your personal checks have been lost, stolen or misused, stop payment and notify your bank immediately

You may also wish to contact the major check verification companies and request that they notify all retailers who use their databases not to accept your checks

• CheckRite - (800) 766-2748
• ChexSystems - (800) 428-9623 (closed checking accounts)
• CrossCheck - (800) 552-1900
• Equifax- (800) 437-5120
• National Processing Co. (NPC) - (800) 526-5380
• SCAN - (800) 262-7771
• TeleCheck - (800)710-9898

Questions for Your Attorney

If you would like assistance with protecting yourself from identity theft, if you are a victim of identity theft or if you have been accused of committing a crime as the result of your identity being stolen, you may want to contact an attorney who is familiar with identity theft and ask the following questions:

• Can you assist me with protecting myself from identity theft since my financial affairs are complicated and I am not sure about the best way to safeguard against it?
• I have had my identity stolen and I have stacks of documents that have come in from creditors and other loan agencies as a result, can you help me sift through this information and act on my behalf?
• I have been wrongly accused of committing a crime related to the theft of my identity, can you help me?

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