PERSONAL SAFETY & CRIME PREVENTION - Identity Theft

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Identity theft happens when someone pretends to be you by using your personal information when applying for loans, credit cards, or leases. In some cases, people may impersonate you when receiving traffic violations or in relation to other legal contact.

 

Identity Theft Statistics

• There are more than 10 million identity theft victims in the United States.
• An identity is stolen every 4 seconds in the United States.
• The average cost to restore a stolen identity is $8,000.
• Victims spend an average of 600 hours recovering from this crime.

 

Top 5 Identity Theft Prevention Tips

There are some important proactive steps that every consumer can take to safeguard their identity. These top five tips (recommended by TrustedID) are things that everyone should do, or at least know about, to protect themselves and their family from becoming a victim of identity theft.

 

1. Buy a shredder: Shredding all your personal information before tossing it in the trash will prevent dumpster divers from fishing out your pre-approved credit card offers. Shredders that cut lengthwise and crosswise are ideal as it minimizes the chances that potential thieves can tape your documents back together.
2. Change your passwords monthly: Do you bank online? Store personal information on your laptop? If so, it would be wise to change your password at least once a month and try to select passwords that will not be obvious to potential hackers.
3. Freeze your credit: If your data has been breached (electronically or via dumpster divers), there is not much an identity thief can do if your credit has been frozen. There is no way someone can open a line of credit (credit cards, house/car loans, etc.) without access to your credit information. (Plus, you can eliminate those potentially dangerous pre-approved credit card offers.)
4. Beware of phishing scams: Scam artists "phish" for victims by pretending to be banks, stores or government agencies. They do this over the phone, in emails and via regular mail. Remember: Never give out your personal information, unless you made the initial contact. Don't respond to a request to verify your account number or password. Legitimate companies do not request this kind of information in this way.
5. Protect your computer from spyware and viruses: Spyware programs can collect many different types of personal information about you like passwords and credit card numbers. Always use firewall, virus and spyware protection software that you update regularly like Norton Internet Security. Only download free software from sites you know and trust.

 

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Where to go for help:

To report identity theft and get help regarding how to restore your credit: contact:

 

Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center

600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20580

877.382.4357

www.consumer.gov/idtheft

 

To report identity theft, get your credit record (free for fraud victims) and to have it corrected, contact all of the following:

 

Trans Union, Fraud Victim Assistance Department

P. O. Box 6790

Fullerton, California 92384

800.680.7289

 

Equifax

P. O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

800.525.6285

 

Experian

P. O. Box 1017

Allen, Texas 75013

800.301.7195

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