IDENTITY THEFT

Protect Yourself

1. Protect your social security number. Don't provide it unless required and never write it on checks.
2. Photocopy the front and back of all cards you carry in your wallet and store the sheet in a safe place.
3. Never routinely carry your social security card, passport or birth certificate with you.
4. Shred your confidential trash with a cross cut or diamond cut shredder.
5. Give no personal information to anyone from an unsolicited computer, telephone or personal contact.
6. Never reply to unsolicited e-mails.
7. Ensure your computer is protected with a firewall and against viruses and spyware.
8. If you have wireless internet, make sure it is encrypted.
9. Order your credit reports at least three times per year (free).
10. Check financial accounts often and investigate any unusual activity.
11. Don’t leave outgoing mail with personal information in your mailbox for pick-up.
12. Don’t let mail accumulate in your mailbox and retrieve it as soon as possible after delivery.
13. Make sure your cordless phone has a frequency of at least 900MHz.
    
    

Credit Reporting Bureaus
Equifax:
(800) 525-6285

Experian:
(888) 397-3742

Trans Union:
(800) 680-7289

Credit Reports
www.annualcreditreport.com
or call: (877) 322-8228
(3 free reports per year)

If You Are a Victim of ID Theft
Contact:

1. Credit Bureaus
2. Creditors
3. Financial Institutions

To remove your name from mail and phone lists:
www.dmachoice.org
www.donotcall.gov

To stop preapproved credit card offers call:
1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688)

To report Internet Fraud:
www.ic3.gov

Key Numbers

FBI
(816) 512-8200

Federal Trade Commission
1-877-IDTHEFT

Postal Inspection Service
1-877-876-2455

IRS
1-800-829-0433

Social Security Administration
1-800-269-0271