One of the best things you can do is to guard and manage your personal information. Here are a few tips to help you avoid or minimize the chance of being taken advantage of:
- Never give personal information via telephone, mail or the Internet, unless you initiated the contact to a known, legitimate source.
- Sensitive information should never be sent by e-mail since it is not a secure method of delivery.
- Keep all personal information in a secure place.
- Shred credit card receipts and/or old statements before discarding in a garbage can – use scissors if you don't have a shredder.
- Protect PINs and passwords.
- Carry only the minimum amount of identifying information.
- Call 888-5-optout (888-567-8688) to remove your name from pre-approved credit offers. To help stop most telemarketing calls, call the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) National Do Not Call Registry at 888-382-1222 from the number you wish to register or visit
www.donotcall.gov.
- Order and review copies of your credit report by visiting
www.annualcreditreport.com, the only service authorized by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion for this purpose. The law allows you to order one FREE copy from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies every 12 months. You can also request a report by calling 877-322-8228. For best monitoring practices, stagger your requests to one report every four months.
- If your Social Security number appears on your driver's license, request the Department of Motor Vehicles to assign an alternate driver's license number.
- Ensure that your PIN numbers cannot be observed by anyone while utilizing your debit or credit card at the point of purchase, on the telephone or at an ATM.
- Close all unused credit card or bank accounts.
- Contact your creditor or service provider if expected bills do not arrive.
- Check account statements carefully for any unauthorized activity.
- Guard your mail from theft.