10 STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF

1.     Protect Your Social Security number

The key that an identity thief uses to unlock your private financial information is your Social Security number.  Do not have your SSN printed on your checks.  After applying for a loan, credit card, rental or anything else that requires a credit report, request that your Social Security number on the application be deleted and your original credit report be shredded before your eyes or returned to you once a decision has been made.

2.     Monitor Your Credit Report

Be sure to check your credit report regularly.  Even better, subscribe to a credit monitoring service that will alert you to activity in your financial records. This way, you will be notified whenever someone opens an account in your name, changes your address, or checks your credit history.  This "early warning" of a possible identity theft incident could save you an incredible amount of time, money, and aggravation.

3.     Buy a Shredder and Don't Forget to Use it

Your garbage is a prime target of identity thieves in their quest to obtain your personal information.  Be sure to shred all financial statements and credit-card offers before discarding them.  Any shredder is better than no shredder, but, for added security, consider spending a little extra for a "crosscut" shredder.

4.     Remove Your Name from Marketing Lists

Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, which maintain marketing lists that may contain your information, to remove your name.  You should also "opt-out" of pre-approved credit card offers and add your name to the name-deletion list of the Direct Marketing Association.

5.     Keep Your Wallet "Empty"

Remove your Social Security card from your wallet and don't carry extra credit cards or other important identity documents except when needed.

6.     Maintain Duplicate Records

Photocopy the contents of your wallet including both sides of your license and credit cards.  This will be valuable and save a lot of time if your wallet or purse is stolen.

7.     Mail payments from a safe location

Do not mail bill payments and checks from your home or business. They can be stolen from your mailbox and washed clean in chemicals. Take them to the post office.

8.     Monitor your Social Security activity

Order your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement once a year to check for fraud.

9.     Monitor your Bank and Credit Card Statements

As difficult as it may be sometimes, reconcile your checkbook monthly.  If you don't, at least check your statements to confirm that all of the checks and withdrawals were made by you.  Also, examine your credit-card statements for fraudulent charges before paying them.  Any delay in reporting a fraudulent transaction could affect your legal rights and make it more difficult for you to have the problem corrected later.

10.    Be Cautious and Use Common Sense

Be aware of your surroundings.  Look out for people with "camera cell phones" near you when you are entering your PIN in an automated teller machine.  Only give your credit-card number or personal information over the telephone IF you initiated the call and trust that business.

 

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