Identity Theft

What Thieves Use: Phone Books, Driver Licenses, Pre-Approved Credit Offers Credit Cards/Receipts, Birth Certificates, Credit Reports, Personal Checks, Social Security Numbers

Over 500,000 Americans become victims of identity theft annually, costing them and financial institutions approximately $750 million. Once victimized, it could take months or even years to clear one’s credit rating. Taking the following steps will help avoid identity theft, along with the aggravation and expense that follow.

How to Protect Yourself

  • Guard personal information. Shred old checks and receipts, bank and credit card statements, credit card applications, credit cards, insurance forms, and any other documents with personal or account information that you are discarding.
  • Protect your mail. Use a locking mailbox. Deposit payments at the local post office or hand deliver them to a mail carrier.
  • Never keep an ATM card and the PIN (Personal Identification Number) together.  Do not allow anyone to help you enter a PIN or conduct a transaction at an ATM.
  • Never allow your credit card number to be recorded on a check.  Florida law prohibits this as a mandatory practice.  Carry only those credit cards that you actually need.
  • Protect your driver license and social security number.  Notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) and/or the Social Security Administration if either of these documents is lost or stolen.
  • Review monthly bank and credit card statements carefully each month.  Report any suspicious activity on an account immediately.  Be aware of when you regularly receive your statements.  Contact the company if one is not received when expected.

What to do if Your Identity is Stolen

  • Notify your bank and/or credit card companies immediately.  Also notify the three credit bureaus (listed below), and the police.  Contact the creditor with whom your name has been fraudulently used.  Make them aware that you too are a victim of the fraudulent activity.
  • Keep detailed records, including dates, times, and names of previous persons notified, and the results of the conversations.  Note any tracking or complaint number issued to your case.  Follow up all company notifications with written correspondence.  Keep copies of all correspondence.
  • Check current accounts for a recent change of address request.  Notify the Postal Inspector if you learn that an identity thief has filed a change of address form for your mail.

Contact the big 3 Credit Bureaus:

Equifax

(800) 525-6285
PO Box 74024
Atlanta, GA 30374

Experian

(800) 301-7195
PO Box 1017
Allen, TX 75013

Trans Union

(800) 680-7289
PO BOX 390
Springfield, PA 19064

Federal Trade Commission

FTC Consumer Response Center: 202-326-3761

National Fraud Information Center