Identity Theft: What is it?
Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information to commit fraud or another crime, posing as you. Identity thefts typically use personal information such as your name, address, Social Security number, and credit card or bank account numbers to open bank accounts, obtain credit cards, get a passport, sign lease or financing agreements. The three most common forms of personal identity theft are:

1. Financial ID Theft —Thieves use your name and Social Security Number to commit financial fraud such as applying for a credit card or opening a bank account.
   
   
2. Criminal ID Theft — Thieves can also give your name and personal information when stopped by a police officer or when charged with a crime. If the thief uses your name, you will be served with a warrant for arrest for a crime you never committed.
   
   
3. Identity Cloning —Thieves can use your personal information to establish a new life, posing as you. They pose as you and apply for a new job, rent an apartment, establish new cell phone service, etc. Often people in trouble with the law, illegal aliens, or people trying to escape abuse attempt this type of identity theft.

How Thieves Can Steal Your Identity and What Happens When They Do
It’s frighteningly simple for someone to obtain your personal information. Think about how many times a day you purchase something online, fill out an application or throw out a credit card receipt or piece of mail. While the most common way for a thief to steal your identity is by stealing a wallet or purse, they can also steal personal information by:

• Stealing mail and getting information from your credit card or bank statements
• Obtaining personal information you post or share via the Internet
• Stealing information from offices or places of business by illegally entering the computer system (“hacking”) or stealing/copying files
• Going through trash
• Posing as someone else requesting personal information (i.e. bank representative, credit card company)

• Apply for a new credit card
• Run up charges on your card purchasing items online or by phone
• Rent an apartment
• Apply for social services and benefits (i.e. unemployment benefits, welfare benefits)
• Obtain a wireless phone and cellular service
• Open a bank account and bounce checks
• Buy big-ticket items such as cars, furniture, electronics, etc.

How To Protect Your Identity
Preventing identity theft sounds difficult. How can you prevent something when you’re not really sure how it happens? It can help to think about preventing theft by thinking about HOW a potential thief might be able to get, or access, information about you. Although there are several specific steps you can take to protect your identity you can increase your safety by just using some common sense. First, don’t give personal information, particularly your name and Social Security Number, to anyone that doesn’t really need to know. Second, carry as little identification with you as possible. Third, secure the information you do carry with you.

Some specific additional steps you can take include:

• Put your name on the national “Do Not Call” registry to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register, or to get information, visit www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. It will stay in the registry for five years.
• Write to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and ask them to remove you from their list. The DMA is required to send your request to their members. Your request means that DMA members will not mail or call you for 5 years.

  DMA Mail Preference Service
  P.O. Box 643
  Carmel, NY 10512
  
  DMA Telephone Preference Service
  P.O. Box 1559
  Carmel, NYU 10512
  
  Or www.dmaconsumers.org

• Remove your S.S.N. It’s not necessary to have your Social Security number on every document. Take your Social Security number off your checks, take the card out of your wallet and store it safely at home, and if your driver’s license i.d. number is your S.S.N. you can request an alternative number.
• Get your credit report. Thanks to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, by the end of 2005 every American will be able to obtain one free copy of their credit report each year.  Your credit report is maintained by the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion Corporation.  Your credit report contains information on where you work and live, the credit accounts opened in your name, if you pay your bills on time, and if you have ever been arrested or if you have filed for bankruptcy. Make sure it’s accurate.  For more information on how you can obtain a copy of your credit report, visit the Annual Credit Reports website or click here.
• Lock it up. Particularly if you have roommates or employ outside help that could have access to your personal records, you should consider getting a locked box or somehow securing personal information and files.
• Tear it up. Get a paper shredder or at the very least, tear up mail solicitations, credit card receipts, billing statements, etc. before throwing away.
• Watch your mailbox. Have someone take your mail in if you are going out of town or put a hold on your mail at your local post office until you return. Also send your mail out through a secured local mailbox, instead of in your personal home mailbox. Mail sitting in your mailbox is an easy target for identity thieves.
• Leave home without it. If you haven’t already, memorize your Social Security Number and leave the card at home. Also consider leaving your checkbook at home, or at the very least make sure your checkbook is secure while you’re out. Thieves can write checks, draining your bank account quickly, but the law limits unauthorized credit card charges to $50 (meaning you will only have to pay $50 if someone fraudulently uses your card).
• Create new passwords. While it may be easier to use the same password for every account, it just makes you an easier target for identity theft, particularly online theft. Avoid really obvious passwords like your spouse’s name, children’s names, and date of birth. Make your passwords “gibberish” (i.e. a nonsensical mix of numbers, symbols and letters). Remember to log off when you’re finished using your computer.
• Answer wisely. Don’t give out any personal information over the phone. Ask the solicitor to send you something in the mail. If they’re legitimate, and want your business, they will. You can also check up on the company online or through the Better Business Bureau.
• Check your bank statements. Pay attention to your billing cycles. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.

What to Do If You Think You Are a Victim of Identity Theft
The more quickly you notice and report that your identity has been stolen and misused, the less damage is likely to occur. If you think your identity has been stolen, following are immediate first steps to take:

1. Contact your credit card companies, banks, utility companies, phone companies, etc. to report that someone is wrongly using your account and that you want the account(s) closed. Alert them not to approve any applications to open new accounts in your name.
   If there are unauthorized charges on your account(s), notify the company and ask if the company accepts the ID Theft Affidavit (available at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf) or if they will send you their company’s fraud dispute forms to complete.
   
   ATM cards: Cancel a stolen or lost ATM card quickly and request a new card with a new Personal Identification Number (PIN).
   
   Checks: If your checkbook has been stolen, close the account immediately. State laws may protect you if someone forges your signature on checks, but you have to notify the bank quickly that the check was lost or stolen. Also contact the following major check verification companies and alert them that retailers who use their services not accept your checks.

   TeleCheck — 1-800-710-9898 or 927-0188
   
   Certegy, Inc. — 1-800-437-5120
   
   International Check Services — 1-800-631-9656

   You can find out if someone has been passing bad checks using your name by calling the check verification company SCAN at 1-800-262-7771.
   
   
2. Contact the three major credit bureaus to report the crime and place a fraud alert on your credit file:

   Equifax
   Call: 1-800-525-6285
   Write: P.O. Box 740241
   Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
   
   Experian
   Call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
   Write: P.O. Box 9532
   Allen, TX 75013
   
   TransUnion
   Call: 1-800-680-7289
   Write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division
   P.O. Box 6790
   Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

   A fraud alert lets creditors know that they need to contact you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts. Alerting one credit bureau will automatically report the crime to the other two bureaus. All three bureaus will send copies of your credit report to you free of charge.
   Once you receive your reports, review them carefully. Look for any unexplained debts or accounts you didn’t open. Verify that the credit bureau has your correct name, SSN, address(es) and employer. Notify the credit bureau as soon as possible about any inaccuracies or potential fraud.
   
   
3. Contact your local police and file a report. Your creditors may require a copy of the police report to prove the crime.
   
   
4. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-869-3557) or going online to www.ftc.gov/idetheft to report the crime.If you have been turned down for a loan,make sure that the company you have applied for a loan through knows that you have been an identity theft victim and that you have reported the crime. Make sure that the credit bureaus all have the crime noted on your credit report. Obtain and keep a copy of the police report to provide proof of the crime to banks, credit companies, etc. You can also use the FTC’s ID Theft Affidavit to help close any unauthorized accounts and get rid of debts that someone else accrued posing as you.
   
   
5. Keep a close eye on your credit report for the first 1-2 years following the theft incidence to make sure that there is no further suspicious activity.