Identity Theft

I am writing to alert you about Identity Theft. I'm sure you have heard about it in the news and in commercials on TV. According to the FBI, Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in the nation, with an estimated 500,000-700,000 victims every year. Chances are that you already know someone who has been a victim.

Although we all benefit from the convenience of modern commerce and technology, we must be increasingly vigilant about someone else using our identity. There is a whole new breed of criminals who profit from using our name, our address, our social security number, our bank and credit card numbers, and our good credit. They get the essential information in various ways: They "dumpster dive," obtaining information from our trash; they steal credit card information while we are using our card (with a device known as a "skimmer"); they steal mail to obtain bank account and credit card numbers (they may even file a change of address card and divert our mail to a location where they can monitor it); they steal information from our home; they steal information we have given to their employers for legitimate reasons; they pose as government workers or salesmen and trick us into divulging the information; and they still steal purses and wallets.

Using this information, the thieves can generate bogus documents (including driver's licenses and checks); buy things with our credit card numbers; take out loans in our name; subscribe to wireless telephone services; obtain more credit cards, and drain our bank accounts. There are even reported cases where the thief has filed for bankruptcy in the stolen name to avoid the debts he has incurred in that name!

• Review your credit report at least once a year. This should tell you all accounts that have been opened in your name, the credit reports that have been requested in your name, and, in the extreme case, whether bankruptcies or arrests have been logged in our name.
• Monitor your bank account. Review all financial reports and invoices immediately when you receive them. You should take note immediately if there are charges you do not recognize or withdrawals or transfers that you did not authorize.
• Be alert to your regular billing cycles. If you have not received a bill on time - it could mean that your address has been changed, or that your mail has been stolen or diverted.
• For the same reasons, be alert if you notice that the volume of your mail decreases.

• Call any one of the three major credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your credit report (phone numbers are included in the attached checklist.) This should prevent a thief from opening additional accounts in your name. Any one of the three major bureaus will notify the other two and you should receive a credit report from all three, at no charge.
• Notify the bank, credit card company, etc., immediately. They can stop charges on your account, close it and open a new account for you. They can also close accounts that have been opened fraudulently.
• File a police report if the theft appears to be a major scheme (affecting more than one account or creditor). Send a copy of the police report to the major credit bureaus and offer to send it to any creditor who may have been affected.
• Obtain a copy of any fraudulent credit applications from the business affected. Under new federal laws, they have to provide these copies to you, free of charge.

• 1. Shred all financial documents and pre-approved credit card applications before you put them in the garbage.
• 2. Do not carry your social security card, passport or birth certificate with you unless you will need it.
• 3. Do not have your social security number or driver's license number printed on your checks.
• 4. On the back of your credit cards, instead of signing your name, write "Request ID."
• 5. Be cautious of giving your social security number out: determine why it is needed.
• 6. Don't use passwords or PIN numbers based on information that can be obtained from other sources, such as yours or your mother's maiden name, the last four digits of your social security number, or your birth date.
• 7. Don't give out sensitive, personal information over the telephone or on the computer unless you have initiated the contact.
• 8. Make a copy of the contents of your wallet (front and back) and other financial information that you may keep in your purse. (Keep these copies in a safe place in your home.) This will give you the account numbers and phone numbers if you need to report stolen or lost cards.
• 9. Don't leave bill payments in your mailbox with the flag up for any length of time.
• 10. The FTC has a combined form for alerting the three major credit agencies and major financing companies of a theft or fraud. (See www.consumer.gov/idtheft/affidavit or call 877-438-4338.) Even if you use this affidavit, however, you will still be responsible for making sure the fraudulent charges and bad credit information are removed from your record.
• 11. The three national credit reporting organizations will call you before approving credit based on your name or social security number, if you alert them to possible fraud or theft.
  Equifax - 800-525-6285
  Experian - 888-397-3742
  Trans Union - 800-680-7289
  Social Security Fraud line - 800-269-0271
• 12. Credit reporting bureaus are allowed to release your name, address, telephone number, etc. to anyone who requests it. But you can instruct them not to do so by calling 888-567-8688 and following the steps in the menu. Taking this step should reduce the number of pre-approved credit card applications you receive in the mail and, perhaps, avert other problems.
• 13. Keep information secure in your home; after all, most of us have other people in our homes for services, repairs, etc.
• 14. If you work, keep your purse and other confidential items in a secure place. Also, inquire about security measures for confidential information at your place of business, and particularly, how it is disposed of.

• 15. Update your computer virus protection software regularly. Be alert for updates that you can download.
• 16. Don't download or open files sent to you by strangers.
• 17. Use a firewall program, especially if your computer stays connected to the Internet all the time.
• 18. Use a secure browser, which is software that encodes or encrypts information you send over the Internet.
• 19. Be especially careful of your laptop. It is best not to store confidential data on it. If you do, use a unique password that must be entered every time you log on. Theft of a laptop is tragedy enough without also losing important confidential data
• 20. When you discard a computer, be sure that all confidential information is deleted. Use a utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive.
• 21. Be especially careful of wireless technology, particularly in public places. Thieves once used binoculars to watch someone enter his telephone credit card number. Now, if you are using a wireless connection to your computer (say, in a hotel) thieves can highjack all of your information from a remote location, with little trouble.

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