Below you will find information for your convenience in the event you are faced with identity theft. Use this as a resource to learn more about identity theft and the choices you can make to better protect yourself. Use it also as a guide to help you take action.
Convenient Reference for Important Contact Information
Credit Bureaus ---
Equifax 1-800-525-6285
Experian 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion 1-800-680-7289
TeleCheck 1-800-710-9898
Securities & Exchange Commission 1-800-732-0330
Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline 1-877-438-4338
United States Postal Service on-line www.usps.gov/websites/depart/inspect
Social Security Fraud Hotline 1-800-269-0271
If you'd like to learn more about identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission consumer web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or call toll-free 1-877-438-4338.
Understanding Identity Theft
How Identity Theft Happens:
No matter how careful you are about protecting your personal information, no one is completely safe from identity theft, skilled thieves, like pickpockets, burglars and computer hackers, have many ways (both low and high-tech) to get hold of your important data and use it for their own benefit.
Here are some of the most common ways identity thieves can gain access to your information. They:
- Steal wallets and purses containing your identification, credit and bank cards.
- Steal your mail, including your bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, telephone calling cards and tax information.
- Complete a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.
- Rummage through your trash, or the trash of businesses, for personal data in a practice known as "dumpster diving."
- Fraudulently obtain your credit report by posing as a landlord, employer, or someone else who may have a legitimate need for - and a legal right to the information.
- Get your business or personal records at work.
- Find personal information in your house.
- Use personal information you share on the Internet.
- Buy your personal information from "inside" sources. For example, an identity thief may pay a company employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services or credit.
How Identity Thieves Use Your Personal Information
Once someone has your personal information, there are many ways they can use it without your knowledge. They can:
- Call your credit card issuer pretending to be you and ask to change the mailing address on your credit card account. The imposter then runs up charges on your account. And, because your bills are being sent to the new address, it may take some time before you realize there's a problem.
- Open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth and Social Security number. When they use the credit card and don't pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report.
- Establish phone or wireless service in your name.
- Open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.
- File for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debs they've incurred in your name, or to avoid eviction.
- Forge counterfeit checks or debit cards and drain your bank account.
- Buy cars by taking out auto loans in your name.
Protecting Yourself
How to Prevent Identity Theft ---
- Carry only what you need - the less personal information you have with you, the better off you will be if your purse or wallet has been stolen.
- Don't put outgoing mail in or on your mailbox - thieves may use your mail to steal your identity. Drop your mail into a secure, official Postal Service collection box.
- Cancel any credit card accounts that you no longer use - Cut up these cards and throw them out. Don't keep old credit or ATM cards around.
- Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately - Call each credit card issuer and ask to have the stolen card accounts closed and new ones opened to replace them. Remember to update any automatic payment accounts with your new account numbers.
- Don't preprint personal information on checks. Your checks should not have your driver's license, telephone or Social Security numbers on them.
- Report lost of stolen checks immediately. If you have banking accounts, your bank will block payment on the check numbers involved. Also, review new checks to make sure none have been stolen in transit. And review your account for counterfeit checks. Make sure the checks that clear were written by you.
- Store cancelled checks safely. This goes for your new checks as well.
- Be alert to telephone scams. If you are called, be wary about providing personal information. Notify the appropriate financial institutions of any suspicious phone inquiries made in their name asking for account information to "verify a statement" or "award a prize."
- Be careful with your ATM and credit card receipts. Thieves can use them to access your accounts. Never throw away receipts in a public trash can.
- Guard your Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) Don't write your PINs on your ATM or credit cards and don't keep your PINs with your cards.
- Discard mail appropriately. If you receive financial solicitations that you're not interested in, tear them up before throwing them away, so thieves can't use them to assume your identity. Destroy any other financial documents, such as bank statements or invoices, before disposing of them. Consider a home paper shredder for all sensitive documents.
- Keep your information private. Don't give out financial information such as checking account and credit card numbers - and espcially your Social Security number - on the phone unless you initiate the call and know the person or organization you're dealing with. Don't give out personal information to anyone, even someone claiming to be from your bank.
- Keep track of bills. If regular bills fail to reach you, call the company to find out why. Someone may have filed a false change-of-address notice to divert your information to his or her address.
If your bills include suspicious items, don't ignore them. Instead, investigage immediately to head off any possible or further fraud.
- Review your credit report - Periodically contact the major credit reporting companies to review your file and make certain the information is correct. For a small fee, you can obtain a copy of your credit report at any time.
- Protect your identity online. When conducting financial transactions, making purchases or sending personal information online, make sure the Web sites you visit are secure and protect your data from Internet theft.
Look for Web sites that use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt your personal information. You can also check to see if your Web session is secure by looking for a small lock symbol usually located in the lower corner of your Web browser window. Current versions of leading Web browsers indicate when a Web page is encrypted for transmission by using this symbol. You may also look for the letters "https://" at the beginning of the Web site URL in your Web browser. The "s" means that the Web connection is secure.
Reclaiming Your identity
How to Deal With Identity Theft -
You can recover from identity theft. In fact, if you suspect that you may be a victim, you've already taken an important first step toward restoring your good name by contacting your bank representative.
1. Call the credit bureaus.
Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. They maintain reports that track the credit accounts that have been opened in your name and how you pay your bills. You should call first and then follow up in writing.
Equifax Equifax Fraud Assistance- P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348
Experian P.O. Box 949, Allen, TX 75013-0949
TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Dept., P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834
2. Request that a fraud alert be placed in your credit bureau file. This will alert potential creditors that you may have been the victim of identity theft and that your credit history may not yet be completely corrected.
3. Include a victim's statement. Tell the credit bureaus you'd like to include a statement on your credit report asking that creditors call you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts.
4. Ask for copies of your credit reports. If you are a victim of identity theft, credit bureaus must give you a free copy of your report to check for inaccuracies.
5. Review your credit reports carefully. Make sure that no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened or unauthorized changes made. Check the inquiry section of the report. When inquiries appear from companies that opened fraudulent accounts, request that the inquiries be removed from your report.
6. Perform periodic reviews. In a few months, order a new copy of your credit report to verify your corrections and changes. After reviewing your credit report, you may find that accounts were opened in your name at other banks or lenders. Call the companies where the accounts were opened to report fraudulent accounts, then follow up in writing. Include copies of documents that support your position. See the sample credit bureau letter in the Sample Documents section.
7. Contact your local police. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Even if the police are unable to catch the thief, having a copy of the police report can help you in delaing with creditors. Obtain a copy of the police report in case your bank, credit card company or others need proof of the crime.
8. Contact the Federal Trade Commission. Call the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Identity theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). The FTC will put your information into a secure consumer fraud database and may, in appropriate instances, share it with other law enforcement agencies.
9. Check your mail carefully. If you receive statements for accounts you do not have, contact the creditor. An identity thief may have opened an account in your name. If you do not receive statements for any of your usual accounts (including credit, banking and investment), contact the company immediately. An identity thief may have submitted a change of address in order to redirect your statements to a different location. If you do not receive mail you usually receive, contact the post office. An identity thief may have falsified a change of address to redirect your mail to a different location.
10. Review ALL your accounts. You should check transactions on credit account statements including credit cards, home equity lines of credit, bank accounts, investment accounts and telephone bills. If you find problems on one of your accounts, you should pay careful attention to all of your accounts going forward. Here are some steps you can take if you suspect that an identity thief may have tampered with any of your accounts.
11. Contact other creditors. Creditors can include credit card, phone and other utility companies, and banks and other lenders. Ask to speak with someone in the company's security or fraud department and follow up with a letter. Credit card companies require that you contact them in writing. A sample dispute letter can be found in the Sample Documents* section. Close accounts that have been tampered with and open new ones with new PINs and passwords. Avoid using easily available information for a password like a date of birth or Social Security number.
12. Review your bank accounts. If an identity thief has tampered with your savings or checking account or ATM card, close the account immediately. Open a new account and ask that a password be required to obtain any information. And avoid using easily available information for a password. If your checks were stolen or misused, either place a stop payment on the range of missing checks or close the account. Also, contact the major check verification companies to request that they notify retailers that use their database.
Telecheck - 1-800-710-9898
Certegy: 1-800-437-5120
13. Review your investment accounts. If an identity thief has tampered with your securities, investments or brokerage account, immediately report it to your broker or account manager and to the Securities and Exchange Commission at 1-800-SEC-01330 (1-800-732-0330).
14. Contact your telephone service provider. If an identity thief has established a new phone or cellular service in your name, contact your service provider immediately to cancel the account. If you have trouble getting fraudulent phone charges removed from your account, contact your state Public Utilities Commission for local service providers or the Federal Communications Commission for long distance service providers.
15. Contact your local Postal Inspector. If an identity thief has stolen your mail to obtain credit or falsified change-of-address forms, that's a crime. Report it to your local Postal Inspector. You can learn how to contact your local Postal Inspection Service office by contacting your local post office or by visiting the United States Postal Service online at www.USPS.gov/websites/depart/inspect.
16. Contact the Social Security Department. If you believe someone is using your Social Security number to apply for a job or to work, contact the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271. You can also contact the Social Security Department at 1-800-772-1213 to verify the accuracy of the earnings reported on your Social Security number and to request a copy of your Social Security statement.
17. Contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles. If you suspect your name is being used by an identity thief to get a driver's license or ID card, contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles.
*** I also have an Action Taken Worksheet that you can use to keep track of who you have called, date contacted and any comments. Good format! Just call/email me for this!
* Sample Dispute letters can be faxed over to you from me --- call or email me for these!
Joan@JoanCox.com or 720-231-6373
