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Preventing Identity Theft
How Identity
Theft Happens
There are a number
of ways that a criminal can get enough information to steal a
person's identity. They can go through the victim's garbage to
find personal information. They can get into the victim's
mailbox to steal credit card and bank statements. They can
pose as the victim's bank or creditors and call to ask for
personal information to "update their files". They can pose as
telemarketers or charity fundraisers to get your credit card
number or bank account number. These bogus telemarketers and
fundraisers also ask for their victim's social security number
and say they need it for "verification purposes". Identity
thieves sometimes pose as employers or landlords to get a copy
of your credit report. Some theft rings pay dishonest
employees at restaurants, stores, etc. for personal
information on their customers.
How To
Prevent Identity Theft
While it is
impossible to be 100% safe from identity theft, there are a
number of ways to greatly reduce your risk of becoming a
victim.
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Shred or tear all
documents with personal information before throwing them
away.
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Bring all outgoing
mail to the post office.
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Make sure there is
a lock on your mailbox.
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Never give personal information to a
stranger on an incoming telephone call.
-
Use your check cards as ATM instead of
credit because the store employees won't have access to your
information and there is less paper floating around.
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Check your credit report on a regular basis
(Every 6 months or every year). Check for transactions you
did not initiate and monitor who has ordered your credit
report. If your credit report has been ordered by "you", but
you didn't order it, then someone is probably trying to
steal your identity.
What
To Do If You Are An Identity Theft
Victim
If you discover that
your identity has been stolen, you should first file a police
report. Then contact all of your creditors and ask them to
call you before authorizing any changes to your account. This
way, the identity thief won't be able to order checks, charge
your credit card, change your address, etc. Also, contact the
fraud unit of the three major credit reporting agencies and
tell them to place a fraud alert in your credit file. More Information for Identity Theft
Victims |
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