Identity theft is the fraudulent use of a person’s personal identifying information. Often identity thieves will use another person’s personal information, such as a social security number, mother’s maiden name, date of birth, or account number, to open fraudulent new credit card accounts, charge existing credit card accounts, write checks, open bank accounts, or obtain new loans. They may obtain this information by:
Pretext calling is a fraudulent means of obtaining a person’s personal information. Pretext callers may contact bank employees, posing as customers, to access customers’ personal account information. Information obtained from pretext calling may be sold to debt collection services, attorneys and private investigators to use in court proceedings. Identity thieves may also engage in pretext calling to obtain personal information to create fraudulent accounts. USE THESE TIPS TO HELP SAVE YOUR GOOD NAME Do Not give personal information, such as account numbers or social security numbers, over the telephone, through the mail, or over the internet, unless you initiated the contact or know with whom you are dealing. Store personal information in a safe place and tear up old credit card receipts, ATM receipts, old account statements, and unused credit card offers before throwing them away. Protect your PINs and other passwords. Avoid using easily available information, such as your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your social security number, your phone number, etc. Carry only the minimum amount of identifying information and number of credit cards that you need. Pay attention to billing cycles and statements. Check with your bank if you do not receive a monthly bill. It may mean that the bill has been diverted by an identity thief. Check account statements carefully to ensure all charges, checks or withdrawals were authorized. Delete personal information before you dispose of a computer. Deleting the files using the keyboard commands may not be enough as the files may stay on the computer’s hard drive, where they may be easily retrieved. Use a ‘wipe” utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive. This will make the files unrecoverable. Do Not download files sent to you by strangers or click on hyperlinks from people you don’t know. Opening a file could expose your system to a computer virus or a program that could hijack your modem. Guard your mail from theft. If you have the type of mailbox with a flag to signal that the box contains mail, do not leave bill payment envelopes in your mailbox with the flag up. Instead, deposit them in a post office collection box or at the local post office. Also, promptly remove incomIng mail. Order copies of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once a year to ensure that they are accurate. The law permits the credit bureaus to charge no more than $9 for a copy of your credit report (unless you live in a state that requires the credit bureau to provide you with one free copy of your report annually). If you prefer not to receive pre-approved offers of credit, you can opt out of such offers by calling 1 -888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688). If you want to remove your name from any national direct mail lists, send your name and address to: DMA Mail Preference Service If you want to reduce the number of telephone solicitations from many national marketers, send your name, address, and telephone number to: DMA Telephone Preference Service WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE ALREADY A VICTIM... If you believe that someone has stolen your identity, you should:
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