Prevent Identity Theft

The following crime prevention suggestions will help citizens avoid becoming a victim of Identity Theft, as well as recognize an Identity Theft crime in the early stages:
  • Ascertain who has access to your personal information and if it is kept in a secure place.
  • Avoid using easily available information such as your mother's maiden name, telephone number, or last four digits of your Social Security number as a password on your credit cards or banking accounts.
  • Be careful when speaking on cordless or cellular telephones and avoid discussing financial issues.
  • Be cognizant of the ‘Overhear’ method or ‘Shoulder Surf’, method of someone listening in to your conversation or peering over your shoulder to obtain your credit card numbers, check numbers, telephone numbers, social security numbers, or any other information that may be useful to a criminal bent on perpetrating an Identity related theft.
  • Be cognizant of the dates and time frames when new credit cards or checks are being mailed to you and quickly report any that are missing or late.
  • Be suspicious of any email requesting your password or personal information.  Internet Service Providers do not ask this type of information after initial account activation.
  • Be suspicious of emails from internet companies such as eBay, Yahoo and America Online, there are thousands of reports of internet scams using fake sites that appear almost identical to these major companies.
  • Be suspicious of scams via the internet such as ‘Account Update’, ‘Fraud Protection’, ‘Identity Theft Protection’, ‘You have just Won’, or any internet message.  Check with the proper companies before answering any email or alert asking for your personal information.
  • Be suspicious of someone calling to confirm personal information.
  • Before revealing any personal and valuable information, find out what it is going to be used for and whether it is going to be shared with others.  
  • Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
    • Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
    • Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
    • Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
    • Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
    • For additional outside information on repairing your credit after becoming a victim of identity theft, you may want to read some of the articles at Creditscore.Net.  
  • Close all unused credit and bank accounts and carefully obliterate or shred unused credit card offers.
  • Do not answer any letter that says you will get a large amount of money if you can help me set up a bank account.
  • Do not leave outgoing credit card payments or mail in your mailbox for pick-up.  Make a delivery to the Post Office personally.
  • Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet unless it is needed. Memorize it!
  • Don’t give out personal information over the phone or internet unless you initiated the contact or know who you are dealing with.
  • Don’t leave valuable identity information in your hotel room while out on the town or conducting business out of your hotel room.  Even top-rated hotels can be prone to a dishonest maid or hotel employee that may have occasion to enter your room and steal identity information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, date of birth, etc…
  • File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
  • Get into a habit of asking for the carbon papers of credit purchases.
  • Get into a habit of shredding all credit card receipts, bank statements, financial statements and any other papers listing your credit card numbers or other financial information.
  • Get into a habit of taking your mail in promptly after delivery and install a secure mail box for your mail to be delivered to. Mail theft is common today and a popular place for Identity Theft to start.
  • Give out your Social Security number only when it is absolutely necessary but ask if other types of identification can be used in its place.
  • Have your Social Security number removed from checks, driver's licenses or other identification.
  • If you have to telephone someone while you're traveling, and need to pass on personal financial information to the person you're calling, don't do it at an open telephone booth where passersby can listen in on what you're saying; use a telephone booth where you can close the door, or wait until you're at a less public location to call.
  • If you're traveling, have your mail held at your local post office, or ask someone you know well and trust  another family member, a friend, or a neighbor  to collect and hold your mail while you're away.
  • Keep items, at home or at work, in a secure place, especially if you share a residence or office with others.  Keep the items secure from cleaning services and others who have access to your residence or office.
  • Limit the number of identifying documents you carry on your person.
  • Maintain a record of Credit purchases, loan applications and store credit request applications.
  • Obliterate or thoroughly cut old credit cards or any other old membership cards into many pieces so the numbers and magnetic strips can’t be read.
  • Order a credit report a few times a year from any of the Credit Reporting Companies as well as a complete Credit Card Report at least once a year. Analyze the reports for unusual or unfamiliar activity and question suspicious charges and activities.
  • Pay attention to billing cycles.  Missing credit card bills could be an indication an identity theft has occurred.  An Identity criminal may have obtained your bill, used another address, and is using your bill it to perpetrate a crime.
  • Pay attention to mistakes on your credit reports and your banking statements.  This may be an indication that someone has already victimized you.
  • Pay attention to mistakes on your identity items (Social Security Cards, Driver’s Licenses, Credit Cards, Checking Accounts, etc…) such as misspellings, wrong addresses, missing initials, wrong phone numbers or any other mistake because these mistakes may be an indication that someone, other than you, has stolen your identity.
  • Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.
  • Protect your employee ID cards since many employers use the employee’s social security number as the employee ID number.
  • Protect your paychecks and check stubs since many employers place the employee’s social security number on the check or stub.
  • Put passwords on credit cards, bank accounts and phone accounts.
  • Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks you can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.
  • Reduce the number of pre-approved credit card offers you will receive by calling 888-5OPTOUT
  • The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them.  If someone takes your check book they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name but your bank will know how you sign your checks.
  • Thoroughly destroy anything you throw out.  Criminals obtain much valuable and useful information from your trashcan.
  • Thoroughly review all bank, credit card and phone statements for unusual activity.
  • Use only secure Web sites from trusted companies for Internet purchases.
  • Visit, write, or call your local Department of Motor Vehicles to have your personal information protected from disclosure.
  • When using your credit card in restaurants or stores, keep an eye on the credit card and the clerk at all times.  Be aware of the Swipe Theft and Credit Card Skimmers.
  • When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.