February 19, 2007
How can you protect your identity from being used to support a methamphetamine user's addiction?
Or falling into the hands of other criminals?
Law enforcement officials recommend consumers:
• Buy a lockable mailbox. And never put bills in the mailbox with the flag up. Authorities say that's inviting someone to steal your mail;
• Don't carry your Social Security card or put that number on your checks;
• Shred credit card offers and sensitive documents before you discard them;
• Consider paying your bills online. Experts say most sites are safe and difficult for criminals to hack;
• Don't put titles like Ph.D, CEO, or doctor on your checks. That makes people think you have money and tempts the scores of people who handle your checks to steal them;
• Never respond to e-mails or other offers that ask you to verify your personal information;
• Never give personal information over the phone;
• Make a photocopy of all your credit cards and other personal information-including the companies' 800-numbers. Keep this information in a secure and separate location. That way you'll have the information handy if your identity is ever stolen.
If you become a victim of identity theft, authorities recommend you:
• Immediately contact the three credit report agencies. They will put a "fraud alert" on your report. Those agencies are Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, www.equifax.com; Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742), www.experian.com; TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289, www.transunion.com;
• Contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. That is the national repository of identity theft information and its database is used by law enforcement agencies for investigations;
• Contact the Social Security Administration (www.ssa.gov) if your social security number has been stolen or misused;
• Immediately close your bank account;
• Contact all your credit card companies and close those accounts;
• Close any accounts that have been fraudulently opened;
• File a police report and be sure to get a copy of that report;
• Continue to check your credit report. If you've been victimized once, experts say, there's a good chance you could be victimized again;
The FTC has a special Web site that gives consumers information on how to deter, detect, and defend against identity theft. The Web site's address is: www.consumer.gov/idtheft/.
