(See the
bottom of this message for hyperlinks for more details and
brochures you can print out and share)
1.
Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personal
identifying information such as your name, Social Security
number, credit card numbers, or other financial account
information.
2.
Check your credit report from each of the three major credit
bureaus every year.
3. Open
your credit card bills and bank statements right away.
Review your statements and close unused accounts. Be aware
if bills don’t arrive on time. It may mean that someone has
changed contact information to hide fraudulent charges.
4.
Don’t carry your Social Security card or PIN numbers in your
purse or wallet because of what can happen if they fall into
the wrong hands.
5.
Avoid giving any personal information over the phone, mail,
or Internet unless you know who you are dealing with. Give
it to them in person instead.
6.
Criminals pretend they are collecting money for victims of a
natural disaster. Sometimes they claim to be police officers
and ask for donations.
7.
Elderly people are frequently targeted in money scams. Keep
a helpful eye for elderly family members and vulnerable
neighbors.
8. Make
sure that you disconnect your laptop from a broadband or a
shared connection when you are not using it.
9.
Avoid offers and pop-ups that sound too good to be true.
They want you to enter your information so they can access
all of your personal information.
10.
Remove your name from mailing lists for pre-approved credit
offers. Pre-approved credit card offers are a target for
identity thieves who steal your mail. Have your name removed
from credit
bureau marketing lists. Call toll-free 888-5OPTOUT
(888-567-8688).
11.
Only enter personal information on secure Web pages that
encrypt your data in transit. You can often tell if a page
is secure if "https" is in URL or if there is a padlock icon
on the browser window.
12. If
you’re going to use a mail box, do so during or close to the
posted pick up hours. Better yet, drop your mail off at your
local post office. Retrieve mail promptly and discontinue
delivery while out of town.
Identity thieves may use a variety of methods to gain
access to your information, including;
1.
Skimming-thieves steal credit/debit card numbers by using a
special storage device attached to ATM machines. The device
reads the magnetic strip on your card which thieves use to
commit fraud.
2.
Phishing-by pretending to be financial institutions or
companies, thieves can send spam or pop-up messages to get
you to reveal your personal information. Be sure your
firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software is up to
date. Use identity theft protection. Never click on links in
pop-up windows or in spam e-mail.
3.
Changing Your Address-thieves divert your billing statements
to another location by completing a change of address form.
4.
Old-Fashioned Stealing-wallets and purses, mail, bank and
credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new
checks, tax information, personnel records, or bribe
employees who have access.
5.
Pretexting-thieves use false pretenses to obtain your
personal information from financial institutions, telephone
companies, and other sources.
6.
Fishing-thieves use string to lower pieces of cardboard
covered with glue down blue mail boxes and open envelopes
that stick looking for personal information they can steal.
7.
Dumpster Diving-thieves will go through your trash looking
for bills, credit cards and other nformation. Shred anything
containing your personal information including credit card
offers and “convenience checks” that you don’t use.
8.
Information retrieval-thieves desire your hard drive with
personal information on it. Have your hard drive
professionally erased before disposing it.
9.
Victim research-thieves access government registers,
Internet search engines, and public records to gain pieces
of your personal information.
10.
Remote thievery-thieves can read contactless or smartcard
credit cards remotely with a compact radio frequency device.
11.
Shoulder surfing-the thief simply eavesdrops on transactions
you make in public and pick up whatever useful information
you disclose.
12.
Computer identity theft-with the use of computer viruses,
hacking, and zer-day attacks, thieves can get personal
information from your computer.
13.
Employment scams-these scams advertise a bogus job and
request personal information. Never give out personal
identification information without knowing whom you are
dealing with.
14.
Social networking-thieves regularly troll social networking
sites to steal personal information so they can use to
commit fraud.
