by Tenielle Shallman
 Many of us have seen the comical credit card commercial where a man is talking in a woman’s voice bragging about all of the things he (or I should say “she”) just purchased. The commercial is funny, but the message within it is not.
Finding out that you have been the victim of identity theft can be a shock. It may hurt your credit and can cost you time and money to correct. You can protect yourself from identity theft by:
Safeguarding your information
- Cancel credit cards when they are no longer in use.
- Discard mail appropriately by destroying the documents before placing them in the trash.
- Do not include preprinted items on your checks, like your driver’s license and social security numbers.
- Carry only what you need with you. For instance, do not carry credit cards that are not regularly used or your social security card.
- Be cautious about providing personal information over the phone to callers.
- Protect your identity online by opening or downloading files only from a known and safe site, and use anti-virus and anti-spyware software that is updated regularly.
Monitoring your information
- Be alert to bills not showing up or new account information in the mail.
- Review your financial statements and cancelled checks for irregularities.
- Check your credit report annually. The law requires the major national consumer reporting bureaus to provide you with a free credit report each year upon request.
Reporting a theft or suspicious activity immediately
- Contact the national consumer reporting bureaus to report the incident and place a fraud alert on your file.
- Call your financial and/or credit card institutions.
- Contact the local authorities.
If you are interested in finding out more about identity theft, please call your Wealth Enhancement Group advisor to request a copy of the Identity Theft Survival Kit. |
