10 Ways To Protect Your ID
1.
Burn or shred, with
a cross shredder, any
mail or financial papers
with your personal
information on it. Never
recycle them.
2. Call
1-888-5OPTOUT and ask to
stop credit card
companies from sending
pre-approved credit card
applications to your
house. They are ticking
identity theft time
bombs.
3. Ask your
credit card firm to
cease delivery of
"convenience checks."
They, too, are ticking
time bombs.
4. You're
entitled to one free
credit report each year.
Get it as soon as
possible and review it
carefully.
5. Order a credit
report a month or more
before you make a big
purchase or apply for
credit, to be sure there
are no surprises in your
history.
6. Hassle
companies that ask for
personal information,
such as your phone
number at a checkout
line. The harder we make
it on companies, the
less they will be
inclined to continue the
practice.
7. It's
impossible to tell
what's real and what's
fake online. Just delete
any e-mail that asks for
personal information.
8. Just hang up
on telemarketers,
particularly ones who
seem to be fishing for
personal information,
like your birthday.
9. Limit the
number of credit cards
you hold, and
religiously inspect your
financial statements
each month. Consumer
rights quickly fade over
time; the sooner you
discover an identity
theft incident, the
better.
10. Most of the
time, you can't prevent
an ID theft incident
from occurring, because
two-thirds of the time,
some company that leaked
the data is to blame. So
be prepared, and be
organized. Save paper
bank records for a year,
at least. You'll need
them to prove your
account balance in the
event of a ID theft
incident.
Identity Theft: What To Do If Your Personal Information
Has Been Compromised
The bottom line for online threats like phishing, spyware,
and hackers is identity theft. ID theft occurs when someone
uses your name, Social Security number, credit card number
or other personal information without your permission to
commit fraud or other crimes. That’s why it’s important to
protect your personal information. If your personal
information is accidentally disclosed or deliberately
stolen, taking certain steps quickly can minimize the
potential for the theft of your identity.
If the Stolen Information Includes Your Financial
Accounts
Close compromised credit card accounts immediately.
Consult with your financial institution about whether to
close bank or brokerage accounts immediately or first change
your passwords and have the institution monitor for possible
fraud. Place passwords on any new accounts that you open.
Avoid using your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the
last four digits of your Social Security number (SSN) or
your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
If the Stolen Information Includes Your Social Security
Number
Call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three
nationwide consumer reporting companies and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. This alert
can help stop someone from opening new credit accounts in
your name.
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285;
www.equifax.com;
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742);
www.experian.com;
P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289;
www.transunion.com;
Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790,
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
An initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for 90
days. When you place this alert on your credit report with
one nationwide consumer reporting company, you'll get
information about ordering one free credit report from each
of the companies. It's prudent to wait about a month after
your information was stolen before you order your report.
That's because suspicious activity may not show up right
away. Once you get your reports, review them for suspicious
activity, like inquiries from companies you didn't contact,
accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that
you can't explain. Check that information — like your SSN,
address(es), name or initials, and employers — is correct.
If the Stolen Information Includes Your Driver's License
or Other Government-Issued Identification
Contact the agencies that issued the documents and follow
their procedures to cancel a document and get a replacement.
Ask the agency to “flag” your file to keep anyone else from
getting a license or another identification document in your
name. Once you've taken these precautions, watch for
signs that your information is being misused. For example,
you may not get certain bills or other mail on time. Follow
up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A
missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over
your account and changed your billing address to cover his
tracks.
Other signs include: receiving credit cards that
you didn't apply for; being denied credit, or being offered
less favorable credit terms, like a high interest rate, for
no apparent reason; and getting calls or letters from debt
collectors or businesses about merchandise or services you
didn't buy.
Continue to read your financial account statements
promptly and carefully, and to monitor your credit reports
every few months in the first year of the theft, and once a
year thereafter. For more information on getting your credit
reports free once a year or buying additional reports, read
Your Access to Free Credit Reports.
