Identity Theft: How to Protect Yourself
How does it happen?
Identity thieves might:
Steal mail from your mailbox. File a change of address form in your name to redirect your mail.
Other identity thief tricks
They might:
Steal pre-approved credit card applications from the trash. Go “dumpster diving” for bank statements or cancelled checks. Steal wallets and purses.
Other identity thief tricks continued…
Phishing – An authentic-looking e-mail that
directs you to a web site to “update your information.”
Pharming – “Hijacking” web domains to the
thief’s own sites to gather personal information.
Phone Scams
How this happens:
Someone pretending to be from the government contacts you. They ask for personal information for a legitimate reason (i.e., census research). Someone contacts you asking for a donation to a fictitious charity.
Data Breaches
Personal information from a business or organization data base.
More than 155 million data records lost or stolen since 2005.
Over 3 million from college and universities
How?
Hackers Accidental postings of personal information Stolen/lost laptops and data storage devices Employees steal data
Twin Wi-Fi Hotspots
Hacker creates a hotspot with the same (or similar) name as a legitimate hotspot – at airports, coffee shops, etc. Users connect to the hacker’s hotspot instead of the legitimate one
Hackers collect personal information
How to Protect Yourself
Mail:
Put outgoing mail in secured mailboxes -- U.S. Postal Service mailboxes or the post office. Monitor your mail. If a bill or statement doesn’t arrive on time, find out why not.
Buy a shredder. SHRED all billing statements and pre-approved credit card offers.
How to Protect Yourself
Banking:
Have new checks mailed to a P.O. Box or pick up them from the bank unless you have a secured mailbox. If you get an e-mail or phone call asking you to update your banking records, do not give out personal information. Call your bank yourself.
How to Protect Yourself
Check out e-mails before answering. Never open an e-mail attachment unless you expected it or know what it contains.
Never click on a web link in an e-mail. Check it out by opening a new browser window and typing in the URL. Watch that the URL doesn’t change when the site comes up. Check out e-mail scams at www.snopes.com.
How to Protect Yourself
Don’t use easily available information (mother’s maiden name, birth date, the last 4 digits of your SSN or phone number, or consecutive numbers) for passwords and PINs.
Pay attention to announcements about data breaches.
Learn what legitimate hotspot web pages look like. Don’t send sensitive information through public Wi-Fi networks.
Monitor Your Personal Information
Check your credit card statements and bank records for unfamiliar transactions and report them.
Check your credit report! Visit www.annualcreditreport.com If you must give out personal information via phone, do so in a secure area. You never know who could be listening.
Reporting Identity Theft
If you think your identity has been stolen:
Contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies to create a fraud alert with all three:
Equifax: 1-800-766-0008 Experian: 1-888-397-3742 TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
Close accounts that have been tampered with.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
File a report with the police.
Other Tips for Reporting Identity Theft
Act quickly! Keep a record of all conversations. Keep copies of e-mails. Make a copy of all documents you send and use certified mail.
For individual help contact:
The Peer Financial Counseling Program (insert web address, phone number, and/or e-mail)
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