Identity Theft

Identity Theft - Fraud Identity theft is the general term for crimes involving the fraudulent use of your name, date of birth, social security number, or unlawful use of your credit cards, personal checks, or other securities.

Identity theft is a serious crime. Victims whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years – and their hard earned money – clearing their good names and credit histories. Due to theft of their identities, some victims have been refused loans for education, housing or cars; have lost job opportunities; or have even been arrested for crimes they didn’t commit.

Skilled thieves gain access to your personal information by:

• Stealing documents from mailboxes (bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit card offers, new checks, or tax information;)
• Breaking into parked vehicles to steal purses, wallets, backpacks, or briefcases unwittingly left inside. (It really doesn’t matter if the property is in plain view, or thought to be well hidden;)
• Gaining access to employment records where they work (taking files from their employers, hacking into business computers;)
• Stealing credit and debit card numbers as you insert your card into bank money machines, using a special storage device secretly attached to the machine. This practice is known as ‘skimming;’
• Stealing personal information from your home;
• Gaining identity and banking numbers from you through Internet scams asking for your personal information.

How to Know If You Are a Victim of Identity Theft? You can minimize your risk by cautiously managing your personal information. Frequently monitor the balances of your financial accounts. Look for unexplained charges or withdrawals. Other indications of identity theft can be:
 

• Failing to receive bills or other mail. This might indicate someone is stealing mail for your mailbox. Or, this may be a signal an identity thief completed a ‘change of address form’ to divert your mail to another location;

Receiving credit cards for which you did not apply;

• Denial of credit for no apparent reason;
• Receiving calls from debt collectors or companies about merchandise or services you did not buy.

If you discover you are a victim of identity theft, or your personal information has been lost or stolen, immediately report the incident to police. Notify the jurisdiction where the incident took place. The police will need the account numbers of the missing credit cards or check numbers.

The information will be documented in the report, and stolen items entered in a police database. Once police have documented your information, you will be issued a case number assigned for that report.

Keep the case number. You may need it to validate your claims to creditors. In addition, contact your banking institutions and credit card companies as soon as possible. These businesses will either close the account numbers in question, or place a Fraud Alert hold prohibiting use of those accounts.

Inform them of the police agency taking the report, and provide them with the report case number. If your banking institution does not already provide you with credit report information, you may order credit reports through any of three major credit bureaus:

Equifax – equifax.com

For credit report 1-800-685-1111
For FRAUD ALERT – 1-800-525-6285
 

Experian – experian.com

For credit report 1-888-397-3742
For FRAUD ALERT – 1-888-526-6285
 

TransUnion –  transunion.com

For credit report 1-800-916-8800
For FRAUD ALERT – 1-800-680-7289

Additional links to applicable agencies when your credit or identity have been compromised-

• IRS.gov Identity Protection PINs stop identity thieves from filing fraudulent tax returns. Taxpayers who participate in this program are assigned a six-digit number that they use to prove their identity when they file their federal tax return. The IRS's Identity Protection PIN is an added layer of security for taxpayers. In the recent past, the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee called the IP PIN, "The number one security tool currently available to taxpayers from the IRS."                                                                                                                                               
• Social Security administration – additional tips to protect your social security number and what to do if your number has been used fraudulently.

Manage Your Personal Information. A responsible consumer can minimize the risk of identity theft by exercising caution and prudence.
 

• Place passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of you SSN or your phone number.
   
• Instead, use a unique password that includes a series of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.
   
• Secure personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, teenage children (teens have friends that visit), or employ outside help or service work done in your home.
   
• Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact or you are sure the contact is legitimate.
   
• Identity thieves are skilled liars that often pose as a representative from a bank, Internet service provider (ISPs), or even government agencies to trick you into revealing identifying information. Double check that the contact is legitimate by calling customer service using the number on your account statement. Or, confirm the caller’s information and number in the telephone book.
   
• Guard your mail and trash from theft. Deposit outgoing mail in the post office collection boxes or at your local post office instead of an unsecured mailbox.
   
• Promptly remove mail from your personal mailbox. Don’t allow it to remain unattended while you are away at work, or shopping.
   
• If you are planning to be away from home, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 (or your local Post Office phone number) to ask for a vacation hold.
   
• Shred charge receipts, copies of credit card applications, insurance forms, physicians statements, bank statements or anything else containing personal information before placing in the trash.
   
• Keep your Social Security Card in a secure place.
   
• Limit the number of credit cards and debit cards in your wallet or purse. Carry only those you will actually need for that particular day.
   
• Keep your wallet in a secured, locked place while at work. Thieves have been known to walk into businesses to quickly take purses hanging on chairs or hidden underneath desks. Wallets and purses have been stolen out of unlocked cabinets and file drawers.
   

Safeguard your personal computer. Update your virus protection software regularly.

• Use a firewall, especially if you have a high-speed connection to the Internet. This limits uninvited access to your computer.
   
• DO NOT store financial information on your laptop or desktop computer unless absolutely necessary. If these items are stolen, the thief has access to everything on your computer’s hard drive.
   
• NEVER set your purse or wallet in a shopping cart. It takes mere seconds for a thief to steal these items as you briefly turn away to look at merchandise.

The information provided was acquired through the Bureau of Consumer Protection, United States Federal Trade Commission.