Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
Copyright 2006 Francesca Black

Some law-enforcement authorities call identity theft the
fastest growing crime across the country right now. In
fact, identity theft is the most called-about subject on
the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse's telephone hotline. Most
victims don't even know how the perpetrators got their
personal information.

Such fraud may account for as much as 25% of all credit
card-fraud losses each year. Not surprisingly 49% of the
victims, who have had their identities stolen, stated that
they do not feel they know how to adequately protect
themselves from this crime.

What Steps Can you Take to Avoid Identity Theft?

1. Credit Report

Order your credit report each year from each of the three
major credit reporting agencies. Check each credit report
carefully for accuracy and for indications of fraud, such
as credit accounts that you did not open; applications for
credit that you did not authorize; credit inquiries that
you did not initiate; charges that you did not incur; and
defaults and delinquencies that you did not cause. Check
the identifying information in your credit report to be
sure it is accurate pay particular attention to your
identifying information like your name, address, and Social
Security number. Make sure that you recognize every line of
information established in your file.

2. Social Security Report

Additionally order your social security earnings and
benefit statement once a year so that you can check to make
sure your earnings are correctly recorded. If the numbers
are inflated it maybe because someone is using your Social
Security number for employment. (Note - The Social Security
Administration now automatically mails these statements
annually to all eligible workers age 25 and older).

3. Checks

Call the payees of any outstanding checks that you are not
certain you wrote. The payee is the person or business to
whom you wrote the check. Explain to each payee that you
are the victim of identity theft and that you have to close
your checking account for that reason. Ask each payee to
waive (forgive) any late payment or returned check fee.
Then send each payee a replacement check drawn on your new
account and stop payment on the check that it replaces.
It's a good idea to enclose a note with each check
explaining why you are sending a replacement check and
reminding the payee that the payee has agreed to waive the
late payment or returned check fee.

4. Mail

If you are traveling be sure to stop your mail delivery at
the post office, rather than having it accumulate
unattended in your mailbox. If you do not receive your
credit card statement on time or if you do not receive a
new or renewed credit card when you expect it, your mail
may have been stolen. If you notice your mail is dwindling,
check with the post office to see if they have any change
of address posted. If a change of address request has not
been filed at the post office check if one has been filed
with the creditor. Guard your mail from theft. Deposit
outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your
local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox.
Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. Install a lock on
your mailbox if you live in an area where mail theft has
occurred. This will reduce the risk of mail theft.

5. Good Record Keeping

Be sure to keep a list of all your credit card account
numbers, expiration dates, and telephone numbers of the
customer service and fraud departments in a secure place,
not in your wallet or purse, so that you can quickly
contact your creditors in case your cards are lost or
stolen. Make a list of, or photocopy, all of your credit
and debit cards. For each card, include the account number,
expiration date, credit limit and the telephone numbers of
customer service and fraud departments. Additionally be
sure to store a list of bank accounts in secure location,
along with access numbers.

6. Lost or Stolen

A thief may steal, or the consumer may lose, the consumer's
purse or wallet. The thief then may use the consumer's
stolen personal identification information to obtain credit
in the consumer's name.

7. Collection

If you receive calls from collection agencies or creditors
for an account you don't have or that is up to date.
Someone may have opened a new account in your name, or
added charges to an account without your knowledge or
permission. Financial account statements show withdrawals
or transfers you didn't make. A creditor calls to say
you've been approved or denied credit that you haven't
applied for. Or, you get credit card statements for
accounts you don't have. You apply for credit and are
turned down, for reasons that do not match your
understanding of your financial position.

8. Notebooks

Laptops and notebooks are treasure troves of useful
information. Be sure to password protect any sensitive
information. When creating passwords and PINs (personal
identification numbers) do not use any part of your Social
Security number, birth date, middle name, spouse's name,
child's name, pet's name, mother's maiden name, address,
telephone number, consecutive numbers, or anything that a
thief could easily deduce or discover. For tips on strong
passwords refer to: http://www.password-software.com/.
Avoid using an automatic log-in feature that saves your
user name and password; and always log off when you are
finished.

9. ATM/ Credit Cards

If your ATM card has been lost, stolen or otherwise
compromised, cancel the card as soon as you can. Get a new
card with a new PIN. If you suspect unauthorized use,
contact the provider's customer service and fraud
departments immediately. Never give out your credit card,
bank account or Social Security number over the telephone
unless you placed the call and you have a trusted business
relationship with the business or organization. Place
passwords on credit cards, bank and phone accounts. Avoid
using easily available information like mother's maiden
name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or
your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
Cancel your unused credit cards so that the accounts will
not appear as being "open" or "active" on your credit
report. Shield your ATM or telephone key pad when using an
ATM or making a phone call with your phone calling card.
Some shoulder surfers' use binoculars or video cameras to
record your numbers. If you use ABMs or point-of-sale
terminals, always shield the entry of your PIN, and never
give your access code (PIN) to anyone. Choose a PIN that
can't be figured out easily, as you could be liable if you
use a PIN combination selected from your name, telephone
number, date of birth, address or Social Insurance Number
(SIN). Remember that no one from a financial institution or
the police will ask you for your PIN. Always take credit
card, debit card and ATM receipts with you. Never throw
them in a public trash container. ear them up or shred them
at home when you no longer need them.

10. Trash

One person's trash is another person's treasure. Shred
documents before throwing them away. Be sure to shred
credit card statements, bank statements, pre-approved
applications, any important papers with identifying
numbers. Memorize ALL passwords and PIN numbers. Keep them
private. Some thieves create identities by retrieving
personal information in your garbage or recycling bin by
"dumpster diving".

11. Public Information

Some thieves use public information, Searching public
sources, such as newspapers (obituaries), phone books, and
records open to the public (professional certifications).
Consider not listing your residence telephone number in the
telephone book, or consider listing your name and residence
telephone number without an address. If you decide to list
your name and telephone number, consider not listing your
professional qualification or affiliation (for example,
"Dr.," "Atty.," or "Ph.D .").

12. Online Banking

After completing a financial transaction or online banking,
make sure you sign out of the Web site and clear your
Internet file/caches (Internet files are retained in your
computer automatically and thus should be cleared so that
hackers cannot obtain the information). Most financial
institutions provide instructions on how to clear the
caches under their "security" section. Look for "https" in
the URL header and a padlock icon on your Internet toolbar
at the bottom of the screen; both indicate that a secure
connection is in effect. With Microsoft Internet Explorer,
click Tools then Internet Options. On the General tab,
click Delete Files, Delete Cookies and Clear History
buttons.

13. Posing

Do not release any information to anyone calling. Thieves
often pose as a creditor, landlord or employer to get a
copy of your credit report or access to your personal
information from other confidential sources.


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Francesca Black develops educational material for
http://www.security-port.com/and
http://www.security-protection.net/a top resource for
locating security related RSS feeds.