Tip of the Week
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Adobe version of this Tip
Protecting
your I.D.
According
to a study commissioned by the Federal Trade
Commission, last year alone, over 9.9 million Americans learned they'd been
victims of identity theft, at a total cost of nearly $50 billion - an average
of almost $5,000 per victim. Here are
some tips that can help you to avoid becoming a victim.
·
Avoid
giving your SSN to anyone unless absolutely necessary. If someone asks for your SSN, ask:
§
Why
do you need it?
§
How
will it be used?
§
How
do you protect it from being stolen?
§
What
will happen if I don't give you my SSN?
If you don't provide your SSN, some businesses may not
provide you with the service or benefit you want. Getting satisfactory answers
to these questions will help you decide whether you want to share your SSN with
the business. The decision to share is yours.
·
Don't
carry your SSN card; leave it in a secure place.
·
Do
not have your SSN pre-printed on your checks, you can write it on later if
absolutely necessary.
·
Instead
of signing the back of your credit cards, write “Verify I.D.” in the signature
box instead. This way, merchants “should”
request to see a separate piece of signed I.D. before accepting your card.
·
The
next time you order checks, omit your first name and have only your initials
and last name put on them. If someone
takes your check book they will not know if you sign your checks with just your
initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.
·
When
you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the
complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last
four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number.
·
Put
your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a P.O. Box, use that instead of
your home address.
·
Don't
give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the
Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know who you're
dealing with.
·
Before
you share any personal information on-line, check the organization's website by
typing its URL in the address line, rather than cutting and pasting it. Never give information through a link that
you jumped to from an email.
·
Carry
a copy of your passport on your person when you travel abroad, and keep another
copy at home in a secure place.
·
Make
a copy of the front and back sides of all of your credit cards, driver’s license,
etc. You will have a copy of all of your
account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.
·
If
you lose your wallet…
§
Cancel
your credit cards immediately. The key
is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to
call. Keep those where you can find them easily (obviously, not in your wallet).
§
If
it is stolen, file a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was
stolen. This proves to credit providers
you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever
is one).
§
If
you had a company card that was lost or stolen, contact accounting as soon as possible.
§
Call
the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud
alert on your name and Social Security number.
The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your
information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new
credit.
Credit Reporting Companies
Equifax:
1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
Trans
Union: 1-800-680-7289