Information Security
Preventing Identity Theft and Reduce Your Risk of Becoming a Victim
Identity Theft has become an unfortunate part of our lives. However, you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim by following these simple steps:
- Don’t use the links in an e-mail to get to any web page, if you suspect the message might not be authentic. Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information, especially when you are instructed to “validate” or “update” account information or face cancellation of services.
- Don’t give away any personal information, like SSN, account numbers, passwords, mother’s maiden name, birth date or PIN over the phone, unless you initiated the call.
- Never set up your computer system to remember your password. This feature although helpful, allows entry into your system.
- Consider replacing your current mailbox with one that has a lock and never leave outgoing mail sitting in a non-secure mailbox.
- Carry only the credit card you would use in an emergency and keep all other credit cards at home, in a secure place.
- If you do carry all of your cards, make sure to record their names, account numbers and customer service numbers and keep them in a secure place, in case any of the cards get lost or stolen you can report them immediately as missing to the card issuer.
- Do not have your driver’s license or social security number printed on your checks.
- Don’t carry your SS card in your wallet unless you need it that day.
- Check your credit report at least once a year. You can obtain a free credit report once a year from each of the credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. www.annualcreditreport.com or toll free at (877) 322-8228.
- Consider adding a statement to your credit file that makes it more difficult to grant credit without calling you to confirm the application.
Experian: www.experian.com or (888) 397-3742
Equifax: www.equifax.com or (800) 525-6285
Trans Union: www.transunion.com or (800) 680-7289
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