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Fraud Information

Identity Theft

The 1990's spawned a new variety of crooks called identity thieves. Their stock in trade? Your everyday transactions, which usually reveal bits of your personal information: your bank and credit card account numbers; your income; your Social Security number (SSN); or your name, address, and phone numbers. An identity thief obtains some pieces of your sensitive information and uses it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft.

Identity theft is a serious crime. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or even years - and their hard earned money - cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of their good name and credit record. Some victims have lost job opportunities, been refused loans for education, housing or cars, or even been arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Can you prevent identity theft from occurring? As with any crime, you cannot completely control whether you will become a victim. But, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you can minimize your risk by managing your personal information with heightened sensitivity.

Internet Phishing

There's a new type of Internet piracy called "phishing." It's pronounced "fishing," and that's exactly what these thieves are doing: "fishing" for your personal financial information. What they want are account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot your checking account or run up bills on your credit cards.

Here's how Internet Phishing works

In a typical case, you'll receive an e-mail that appears to come from a reputable company that you recognize and do business with, such as your financial institution. In some cases, the e-mail may appear to come from a government agency, including one of the federal financial institution regulatory agencies.

The email will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention. It may use phrases such as "Immediate attention required," or "Please contact us immediately about your account." The e-mail will then encourage you to click on a button to go to the institution's Web site.

In a phishing scam, you could be redirected to a phony website that may look exactly like the real thing. Sometimes, in fact, it may be the company's actual website. In those cases, a pop-up window will quickly appear for the purpose of harvesting your financial information.

In either case, you may be asked to update your account information or to provide information for verification purposes: your Social Security number, your account number, your password, or the information you use to verify your identity when speaking to a real financial institution such as your mother's maiden name or your place of birth. If you provide the requested information, you may find yourself the victim of identity theft.

Protect Yourself

Here are a few things you can do to help protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft.

  1. Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request. E-mails and internet pages created by phishers may look exactly like the real thing. They may even have a fake padlock icon that ordinarily is used to denote a secure site. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not provide any information.
  2. If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the financial institution yourself. You can find the phone numbers and websites on the monthly statements you receive from your financial institution, or you can look the company up in the phone book. The key is that you be the one to initiate the contact.
  3. Keep your computer current in protective software. Install a spam filter and anti-virus software on your PC. Scan your PC regularly to detect and remove spyware. Ensure your PC has a personal firewall. Update your operating system and web browser software regularly. Look to ensure "https://" appears in the website address and that the security padlock icon appears on sites that request personal information.
  4. Review your statements and credit reports regularly. If your account statement is late arriving, call your financial institution and find out why. If your financial institution offers electronic access, periodically review activity online and report suspicious activity.

If you become a victim

Even if you've been very careful about keeping your personal information to yourself, an identity thief can strike. If you suspect that your personal information has been sued to commit fraud or theft, take the following four (4) steps right away.

  1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and review your credit reports. Call the toll-free number of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in your name. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will automatically be notified to place alerts on your credit report, and all three reports will be sent to you free of charge. (See the numbers to call below.)
  2. Close any accounts that may have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. These accounts can include credit card accounts or checking accounts. If your checks have been stolen or misused, you should contact the check verification companies listed below and ask that retailers not accept your checks.
  3. File a report with the local police. Keep a copy of the report. You may need it to validate your claims to creditors. If you can't get a copy, at least get the report number.
  4. File a complaint with the FTC. By sharing your complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement track down identity thieves and stop them.

Important Numbers

Credit Bureaus - Fraud Report Numbers

Equifax - 1-800-525-6285, and write: PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian - 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742), and write: PO Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion - 1-800-680-7289, and write: PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

For your free annual credit report: go online to annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228

Check Verification Companies

TeleChek - 1-800-710-9898
Certegy, Inc. - 1-800-437-5120
International Check Services - 1-800-631-9656

The FTC
To file a complaint or to learn more about the FTC's Privacy Policy, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft . If you don't have access to the internet, you can call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline: toll-free 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) or write to: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580

Find out how well you're protected against Identity Theft - take the quiz at idsafety.net .