"Identity Theft Prevention Strategies"

The following is a list of strategies that can be helpful in preventing identity theft:

• Invest in a person shredder. Shred all documents that contain personal and financial information before throwing them away.

• Order a copy of your credit report at least one or two times per year from each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). Look for address changes, name variations and fraudulent accounts you don’t recognize. Do this on your birthday to help you remember to do it at least once per year.

• Scrutinize your credit card and bank statements monthly. Look for charges or transactions you don’t recognize and report them immediately. Save receipts to compare to your billing statements at the end of the month.

• Minimize the amount of information you carry in your purse or wallet. Limit the number of credit cards you carry with you and don’t carry your social security card.

• Opt out of pre-approved credit card offers by calling (888) 5OPTOUT or (888) 567-8688. Your request covers all three major credit reports (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax).

• Keep a record of all your bank and credit card account numbers, expiration dates, telephone numbers and addresses of each creditor. Store it in a secure place. If an ATM or credit card is lost or stolen, contact the company immediately.

• Don’t leave outgoing checks or paid bills in your residential mailbox. Take your mail to the post office or drop it in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox. Also, consider paying your bill electronically, many financial institutions now offer this option.

• When you order new checks, do not have them sent to your residence. Pick them up at the bank instead.

• When establishing a password, use a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. Avoid using the same password for other accounts or sites.

• When online, never provide financial information unless you initiate the transaction. Do not respond to any e-mail that requests personal and financial information.

If You Become a Victim

How do you know you’ve become a victim of identity theft?

  Here are some red flags or indicators:

• You are denied credit.
• A new or renewed credit card never arrives in the mail.
• You start receiving calls from creditors about debts you have no knowledge of.
• You discover unauthorized purchases on you billing statements.

The following steps should be taken if you become the victim of identity theft:

1) Contact the fraud department of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing account.

2) Contact the creditors (credit card companies, banks and other lenders) and close any accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

3) File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.

Credit Bureau / To Report Fraud

Equifax (http://www.equifax.com) /1-800-525-6285

Experian (www.experian.com) / 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion (www.transunion.com) / 1-800-680-7289