Identity Theft

To access identity theft protection from our partner Deluxe, click here

What is identity theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone wrongfully acquires or uses another person's personal data, typically for their own financial gain. Sometimes it is referred to as "identity fraud" since the criminal impersonates rather than 'removes' the victim's identity.

Techniques for obtaining information include :

	stealing mail or rummaging through rubbish
	eavesdropping on public transactions to obtain personal data
	stealing personal information in computer databases
	infiltration of organizations that store large amounts of personal information
	impersonating a trusted organization in an electronic communication (phishing)
	Spam: Some, if not all Spam requires you to respond to alleged contests or "good deals."

It is expected that over 30 million Americans will be affected by identity theft this year. How can you protect yourself? Here are some good general tips:

Safeguard your financial information such as checking and credit card numbers, and your Social Security number. Unless you know who you are dealing with, don't give it out, even to someone claiming to be from your bank.
Report lost or stolen checks immediately. Review new deliveries of checks to make sure none have been stolen in transit.
Notify your bank of suspicious phone inquiries such as those asking for account information to "verify a statement" or "award a prize."
Shred financial solicitations or financial statements before disposing of them.
Deposit your mail into a secure official Postal Service collection box.
If regular bills fail to reach you, call the company to find out why. Someone may have filed a false change-of-address notice to divert your mail and steal your identity.

What should you do if you are a victim?

Here is a quick checklist of steps to take:

	File a police report.
	Contact your banker.
	Notify credit bureau fraud units.
	Place a fraud alert statement on your credit report.
	Request that credit bureaus identify accounts closed due to fraud as "closed at consumer's request."
	Request free credit reports (fraud victims are entitled to two free credit reports from each of the credit bureaus).
	Report check theft to your bank and check verification companies.
	Check post office for unauthorized change of address requests.
	Follow-up contacts with letter and keep copies of all correspondence.

It is a good idea to keep a check on your credit periodically to help identify if you may be a victim of identity theft. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act requires that each of the three credit reporting companies provide you a free copy of your credit report at your request, once every 12 months. You can request from only one of the three companies at a time if you wish, so that you can check the other companies at a later time. This gives you the opportunity to check your credit at 3 different times throughout the year.

You can get your report at www.annualcreditreport.com, or call 877-322-8228.

You can also contact the credit reporting companies:

Equifax (www.equifax.com) 800-685-1111
Experian (www.experian.com) 888-397-3742
TransUnion (www.transunion.com) 800-888-4213

Also, you may opt to use the protection service provided by our partner Deluxe. Click on the link below for more information.

www.FTC.gov and click on consumer protection
or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)

Consumers can file identity theft reports by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338)