I received an email from a neighbor,
Lenora DuBose, who has had to deal with the aftermath of stolen
credit cards and who suggested an article based on information she
sent. This has spawned the idea for two articles covering aspects
of Identity Theft. The information below is loosely based on The
Department of Justice’s website,
www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html.
If all this information is old news, good for you. A specific piece
of advice from Lenora – “Contact your bank and have
each account password protected. This is a safety feature offered
by the banks, but if you don't know it (which I didn't), they don't
mention it to their customers.”
Be
Stingy about giving out your personal
information to others unless you have a reason to trust them, regardless
of where you are. Start by adopting a "need to know" approach
to your personal data. Don’t give out personal information
on the phone unless you know you are speaking to someone who has
a right to it – never to someone who calls you. Be careful
of “phishing” where you receive an email that poses
as an official correspondence from a company such as PayPal or Ebay
that has a link to a site that asks for information that any such
company would already have, such as credit card numbers, SS# or
mother’s maiden name. Limit what you have printed on checks,
there is no need for a SS# or even a home phone #.
If you're traveling, have your mail held at the post office, or
ask someone you know well and trust to collect your mail while you're
away. Don’t give out personal info at an open telephone booth
where passersby can listen in on what you're saying.
Check your financial information regularly.
If you have bank or credit card accounts, you should be receiving
monthly statements that list transactions. If not, call the financial
institution or credit card company immediately and ask about it.
Checking your monthly statements carefully is the best way to catch
unauthorized debits or charges against your financial accounts.
If you find any, contact your financial institution or credit card
company immediately.
Ask periodically for a copy
of your credit report which should list all bank and financial accounts
under your name, and will provide other indications of whether someone
has wrongfully opened or used any accounts in your name. Credit
reports are now free (one per year) from the three national credit
reporting companies (does not include score). Go to
www.annualcreditreport.com
to access.
Maintain careful records of your banking
and financial accounts. Even though financial institutions are required
to maintain copies of your transactions for five years, you should
retain your monthly statements and checks for at least one year,
if not more. If you need to dispute a particular check or transaction
especially if they purport to bear your signatures your original
records will be more immediately accessible and useful to the institutions
that you have contacted.
