Identity Theft
One way to keep ahead of Identity Theft is to STAY ALERT
Monitor your credit reports and read your financial account statements promptly
and carefully. You can review your credit report from each of the three
reporting agencies for free once per year. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com and make sure that what's
being reported under your name is actually yours.
Stay alert for other signs of identity theft, like:
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Failing to receive bills of other mail. Follow up with creditors if your bills
don't arrive on time. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken
over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks
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Receiving credit cards that you didn't apply for
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being denied credit, or being offered less favorable credit terms, like a high
interest rate, for no apparent reason.
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Getting calls or letters from debt collectors or businesses about merchandise
or services you didn't buy
Find out more about it so you can prevent it from happening to
you.
How can someone steal your identity? By obtaining your name, Social Security
number, credit card number, or some other piece of your personal information
for their own use. In short, identity theft occurs when someone uses your
personal information without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft.
Here are some ways that identity thieves work:
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They open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth, and Social
Security number. When they use the credit card and don’t pay the bills, the
delinquent account is reported on your
credit report.
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They call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, change the mailing
address on your credit card account. Then, your imposter runs up charges on
your account. Because your bills are being sent to the new address, you may not
immediately realize there's a problem.
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They establish cellular phone service in your name.
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They open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.
Click Here to Learn More!
There is also a new web site that provides practical tips from
the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard
against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal
information. Click the following link for more information.
OnGuard Online