Identity theft is on the rise...
According Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation, accounting for 43 percent of all complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission in 2002. The FTC also reported that it received 161,800 complaints of identity theft-up 88 percent from 86,200 the year before. Many believe that this is just a small fraction of the total number of victims. In 2002, Star Systems conducted a telephone survey that they believe indicates that as many as one in 20 adults, or 11.8 million Americans, have been victims of identity theft.

Ways your identity can be stolen

• Phone calls or letters saying you're approved/denied for credit never requested

• Missing credit card statements or other types of mail

• Scam or phishing emails

• Computer spyware or pirateware

• Entering information on questionable websites (phishing sites, unsecure, etc)

 Identity Theft Resources:

     - Equifax Credit Reporting

     - LifeLock Identity Protection Services

     - Identity Guard

 Identity Theft Protection

Identity theft is a serious crime!

Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to run up debts, commit fraud and/or other crimes

Here are a few tips can help you lower your risk of becoming a victim.

10 Tips to help protect your identity- Identity Theft Protection

Protect your Social Security number
Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet. If your health plan (other than Medicare) or another card uses your Social Security number, ask the company for a different number.

Don't be fooled by “phishing”
Scam artists “phish” for victims by pretending to be banks, stores or government agencies. They do this over the phone, in e-mails and in the regular mail. Don’t give out your personal information – unless you made the contact. Don’t respond to a request to verify your account number or password.

Keep your identity from getting trashed
Shred or tear up papers with personal information before you throw them away. Shred credit card offers and “convenience checks” that you don’t use.

Control your personal financial information
You have the right to limit some sharing of your personal information with your companies’ affiliates.

Protect your computer from viruses and spies
Protect your personal information on your home computer. Use strong passwords: with at least eight characters, including a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess. Use firewall, virus and spyware protection software that you update regularly. Steer clear of spyware. Download free software only from sites you know and trust. Don’t install software without knowing what it is. Set Internet Explorer browser security to at least “medium.” Don’t click on links in pop-up windows or in spam e-mail.

Take caution when shopping online
When shopping online, check out a Web site before entering your credit card number or other personal information. Read the privacy policy and look for opportunities to opt out of information sharing. (If there is no privacy policy posted, beware! Shop elsewhere.) Only enter personal information on secure Web pages with “https” in the address bar and a padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser window.

Check your bills and bank statements
Open your credit card bills and bank statements right away. Check carefully for any unauthorized charges or withdrawals and report them immediately. Call if bills don’t arrive on time. It may mean that someone has changed contact information to hide fraudulent charges.

Stop pre-approved credit offers
Stop most pre-approved credit card offers. They make a tempting target for identity thieves who steal your mail. Have your name removed from credit bureau marketing lists.

Ask questions
Ask questions whenever you are asked for personal information that seems inappropriate for the transaction. Ask how the information will be used and if it will be shared. Ask how it will be protected. Explain that you’re concerned about identity theft.

Check your credit reports – for free
One of the best ways to protect yourself from identity theft is to monitor your credit history. You can get one free credit report every year from each of the three national credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Request all three reports at once, or be your own no-cost credit-monitoring service.

 

» Visit the Equifax website today for a free credit report

  If you think your identity has been stolen, here's what to do:

Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures before open any new accounts...

Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit (PDF, 56KB) when disputing new unauthorized accounts...
File your complaint with the FTC. You may print a copy of your complaint to provide important standardized information for your police report...

File a report with your local police or police in the community where the identity theft took place. Give the police a copy of your FTC ID Theft complaint form. Get a copy of the police report (or, at least, the police report number)

File a report with your local police or police in the community where the identity theft took place. Give the police a copy of your FTC ID Theft complaint form. Get a copy of the police report (or, at least, the police report number)