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Don't Let Anyone
Steal Your Credit Identity
Identity theft has
become one of the fastest growing crimes in America. It is happening to
celebrities as well as everyone else.
Credit identity theft
is the unauthorized use of your identifying information to open new financial
accounts or use of your existing accounts to steal your money or charge
items leaving you with the bills. Even though there are laws prohibiting
this type of activity, you should take care to avoid becoming a victim.
Identity thieves are
most interested in the personal information that would enable them pass
as you. This includes Social Security numbers, date of birth, mother's
maiden name and your existing account numbers at your financial institutions.
Identity thieves will
try to get this information in many ways:
- Stealing wallets
or purses with everything in them.
- Taking mail from
your mailbox, especially bank statements and credit card statements.
- Diverting your
mail by using a change of address form at the Post Office.
- Searching through
your trash for tossed copies of statements.
- Posing as a representative
of your financial institution on the phone and asking about your account.
To keep your information
private, here are some of the steps to consider:
- Carry as few credit
cards as possible and periodically check to make sure you still have
them.
- Avoid carrying
your Social Security card and passport unless it is needed.
- Never have your
Social Security number on your checks.
- Shred all important
papers that contain financial information before disposing of them.
- Dispose of credit
card and ATM receipts properly.
- Sign new credit
cards when you receive them.
- Guard your PIN
(personal identification number) carefully.
- Make your PIN
and passwords hard for someone else to guess. Don't use your birth date,
phone number or last four digits of your Social Security number.
- Keep a list of
credit card and financial account numbers with phone numbers in a safe
place.
- Guard against
mail theft by mailing payment envelopes from a collection box instead
of raising the flag on your home mailbox.
- Never give personal
information over the phone unless you made the call or you know whom
you are speaking with.
- Review your financial
and credit card statements carefully for unknown transactions. If you
see one, call the institution immediately.
- Periodically,
order credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. You may have
to pay for them, but unauthorized accounts would probably show up.
Ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure
While there are no guarantees that these steps will prevent credit identity
thieves from attacking you, the harder you make it for them to steal your
identity, the less likely your are to become a credit identity theft victim.
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