DETER DETECT DEFEND - AVOID THEFT    IDENTITY GUARD®

              Fighting back against IDENTITY THEFT   Get Your Equifax Product Now!   

              COMMON WAYS ID THEFT HAPPENS:


               Skilled identity thieves use a variety of methods
               to steal your personal information, including:
        
               1.  Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash
                looking for bills or other paper with your personal
                information on it.
        
               2.  Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers
                by using a special storage device when processing
                your card.
        
               3.  Phishing. They pretend to be financial
                institutions or companies and send spam or
                pop-up messages to get you to reveal your
                personal information.
        
               4.  Changing Your Address. They divert your billing
                statements to another location by completing a
                “change of address” form.
        
               5.  “Old-Fashioned” Stealing. They steal wallets
                and purses; mail, including bank and credit card
                statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new
                checks or tax information. They steal personnel
                records from their employers, or bribe employees
                who have access.

              Identity theft is a serious crime. It occurs when
              your personal information is stolen and used
              without your knowledge to commit fraud or
              other crimes. Identity theft can cost you time
              and money. It can destroy your credit and
              ruin your good name. Identity Theft Protection  

              DETER
        
              Deter identity thieves by safeguarding your information.
        
              •    Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal
               information before you discard them.
        
              •    Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your
               Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social
               Security number on a check. Give it out only if absolutely
               necessary or ask to use another identifier.
        
              •    Don’t give out personal information on the phone,
               through the mail, or over the Internet unless you
               know who you are dealing with.
        
              •    Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails;
               instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls,
               anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect
               your home computer; keep them up-to-date.
               Visit www.OnGuardOnline.gov for more information.
        
              •    Don’t use an obvious password like your birth date,
               your mother’s maiden name, or the last four digits
               of your Social Security number.
        
              •    Keep your personal information in a secure place
               at home, especially if you have roommates, employ
               outside help, or are having work done in your house.

              LifeLock Identity Theft Protection

             DETECT

             Detect suspicious activity by routinely monitoring
             your financial accounts and billing statements.
             

             Be alert to signs that require immediate attention:
        
             •     Bills that do not arrive as expected
        
             •     Unexpected credit cards or account statements
        
             •     Denials of credit for no apparent reason
        
             •     Calls or letters about purchases you did not make
        
        
             Inspect:
        
             •     Your credit report. Credit reports contain
              information about you, including what
              accounts you have and your bill paying history.
               ~   The law requires the major nationwide
                consumer reporting companies—Equifax,
                Experian, and TransUnion—to give you a free
                copy of your credit report each year if you
                ask for it.
               ~   Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com
                or call 1-877-322-8228, a service created
                by these three companies, to order your free
                credit reports each year. You also can write:
                Annual Credit Report Request Service,
                P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
        
             •     Your financial statements. Review financial
              accounts and buffing statements regularly,
              looking for charges you did not make.

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           Defend against ID theft as soon as you suspect it.
        
           •  Place a “Fraud Alert” on your credit reports, and
            review the reports carefully. The alert tells creditors
            to follow certain procedures before they open new
            accounts in your name or make changes to your existing
            accounts. The three nationwide consumer reporting
            companies have toll-free numbers for placing an initial
            90-day fraud alert; a call to one company is sufficient:
            Equifax:   1-800-525-6285
            Experian:   1-888-EXPERTAN (397-3742)
            TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
            Placing a fraud alert entitles you to free copies of your
            credit reports. Look for inquiries from companies you
            haven’t contacted, accounts you didn’t open, and debts
            on your accounts that you can’t explain.
           •  Close accounts. Close any accounts that have been
            tampered with or established fraudulently.
             Call the security or fraud departments of each
             company where an account was opened or changed
             without your okay. Follow up in writing, with copies
             of supporting documents.
             Use the ID Theft Affidavit at ftc.gov/idtheft to support
             your written statement.
             Ask for verification that the disputed account has
             been closed and the fraudulent debts discharged.
             Keep copies of documents and records of your
             conversations about the theft.
        
           •  File a police report. File a report with law enforcement
            officials to help you with creditors who may want proof
            of the crime.
           •  Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission.
            Your report helps law enforcement officials across
            the country in their investigations.
            Online: www.ftc.gov/idtheft
            By phone: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338)
            or TTY, 1-866-653-4261
            By mail: Identity Theft Clearinghouse,
            Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580
            FTC.GOV/IDTHEFT             1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338)

          Other ideas to stop identity theft:-

          

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."

2. 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,
     and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the
     check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home Phone.
    If you have a PO box use that instead of your home address. If you do not
    have a PO Box, use your work address.  Never have your SS# printed on your
    checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it
    printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both
    sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your
    wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.
    Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport
    when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about
    fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security
    number, credit cards.

Identity Theft Story!

My wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly

cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to
buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my
driving record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to
limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately.
     But 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.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your
    credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were
    diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
    But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to
    place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud
    line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that
    called to tell me an application for credit was made over the internet in my
    name. 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.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the
damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by
the thieves' purchase, none of which I knew about before placing the alert.
Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet
away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead
in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, etc,
has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union: 800-6807289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):800-269-0271

LifeLock Identity Theft Protection   

Disclosure "Please consult an attorney concerning identity theft. This site takes no responsibility for the accuracy of this information"