Find What You Are Looking For:

Homepage

January 2002 Newsletter:
Identity Theft

Identity theft is a growing problem around the world. There are many ways unscrupulous individuals can obtain your personal information. Following a few basic guidelines for handling your personal information can help decrease your chances of being a victim.

   1. Don't give your credit card or social security information over the phone unless you placed the call or you are very familiar with the person's voice claiming to be with the reputable company.

   2. Request that an organization, such as a hospital or the Division of Motor Vehicles (in the USA), that may use your Social Security number as an identification number displayed on your card, assign you a different number.

   3. Be sure that when you are in a public place and punch your numbers into an ATM machine or a phone, your body blocks someone's view from behind you of the numbers you are punching.

   4. Don't display your personal information, such as your address or license plate number, for easy reading by any observer on luggage, key rings, tattoos, websites, etc. You do not want to make the work for the perpetrator easier to find and enter your home or car.

   5. Shred or tear correspondence with your address, credit card or social security numbers before putting in the garbage, including prescription labels, insurance statements, credit card solicitations, junk mail and financial statements.

   6. Be careful about computer infectors, especially trojans, that can be installed on your system to send your information to an unknown person or to mirror your keystrokes to get your passwords and personal accounts information as you roam the internet.

   7. Firewalls help greatly with the prevention of unauthorized access into your computer system. Internet users with broadband internet access are the most vulnerable because they do not usually shut their computers off or disconnect from their internet access provider.

   8. Physically carry with you only the identification and credit cards that you need at that time. In the USA, there is no reason to carry a birth certificate, passport, or any identification with your Social Security Number on a daily basis.

   9. Periodically get a copy of your credit report from the three major credit bureaus, especially if you did not receive your monthly statement. Look for any unfamiliar charges, accounts, or addresses.

If you find that you are or may be a victim of Identity Theft, contact the Fraud Dept of each of the three major credit bureaus. Ask that a 'Fraud Alert' be placed in your file and that each potential creditor confirm with a phone call to you that you actually applied for the credit. List each conversation and correspondence related to resolving this situation, including names, phone numbers, addresses, the day and time. Contact each creditor in writing about possible fraudulent activities and request a new account with a new password or personal identification number. File a police report with the local police department of where the theft actually occurred or your local police department. This will help establish credibility with creditors if they should need proof that a crime was actually committed.

For residents of the United States, these guidelines and more information are available at the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Clearinghouse. Reporting your information here or through the FTC hotline at 877-ID-THEFT in addition to the other suggestions will aid law enforcement in their search for the perpetrators. This website is designed as an information database where the consumer (victim) can add their personal situation so that law enforcement can analyze patterns and eventually stop these perpetrators.

Another website with loads of information is Identity Theft.

If your identity has been stolen and there is a criminal history now associated with you, contact an attorney immediately.

Remember that following the basic rules of internet safety considerably reduce your chances of an online problem. Refer to the Safety Guide for a quick review. Make this a family or office practice. Constant repetition will make this chore into an everyday practice.