- Mailbox
-
Do not leave bill payment envelopes clipped to your mailbox or inside with
the flag up; use a secure locked mailbox instead.
- Know your billing cycles and watch for
any missing mail. Follow up with creditors if bills or new cards do not
arrive on time. An identity thief may have filed a change of address
request in your name with the creditor or the post office.
- For the ultimate in safety, rent a
post office box to which only you and the United States Postal Service (USPS) has access. Your access to the box is usually by a
key so if you lose your key, notify the post office immediately so
employees can take your mail out of the box for you to pick up only with
proper identification and to change the lock on your box. Neither locked
boxes in your neighborhood (a cost saving USPS measure) nor locked boxes
in such places as shopping malls are a substitute for a box in the post
office as the boxes in public areas can be easily pilfered.
- Paper Work
-
Carefully review your monthly accounts, credit card statements and utility
bills (including cellular telephone bills) for unauthorized charges as
soon as you receive them. If you suspect unauthorized use, contact the
provider's customer service and fraud departments immediately.
-
Check your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement once each year
to make sure that no one else is using your Social Security number for
employment.
-
Order a copy of your credit report from the three credit reporting
agencies every year and make sure all the information is correct
especially your name, address, and Social Security number. Look for
indications of fraud, such as unauthorized applications, unfamiliar credit
accounts, credit inquiries; and defaults and delinquencies that you did
not cause.
- Purse and wallet
-
Carry only personal identification and credit cards you actually need in
your purse or wallet. If your I.D. or credit cards are lost or stolen,
notify the creditors immediately, and ask the credit bureaus to place a
"fraud alert" in your file.
-
Demand that your state not use your Social Security number on your driving
license but substitute another number. Also be firm with retailers who
demand your Social Security number to allow you to make a credit or debit
card purchase. The retailer does not need your Social Security number to
complete a credit or debit purchase but the retailer’s employees could
use information including Social Security numbers to defraud customers.
If
the retailer insists on having your Social Security number, shop elsewhere
and tell your card issuer about the problem you had so the card issuer can
send the retailer a letter about what information its employees actually
need to clear credit or debit card purchases.
-
Keep a list of all of your credit cards and bank account numbers along
with the account numbers, expiration dates, credit limits and the
telephone numbers of customer service and fraud departments and store this
in a safe place.
-
Never leave your purse or wallet unattended - even for a minute.
- Protect your PINs (don't carry
them in your wallet!) and passwords; use a ten-digit combination of
letters and numbers for your passwords and change them periodically.
- Keep your credit safe for a
prosperous New Year.
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