Preventing Identity Theft…

1. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery or install a locked mailbox at your residence.
2. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection mailboxes or at your local post office.  Do not leave in unsecured mail receptacles.
3. Never give personal information over the telephone, such as your social security number, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, credit  card number, or bank PIN code, unless you initiated the phone call.  Protect this information and release it only when necessary.
4. Shred pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts, bills, and other financial information you do not want before discarding them in the trash or recycling bin.
5. Empty your wallet of extra credit cards and Id’s, or better yet, cancel the ones you do not use and maintain a list of the ones you do.
6. Order your credit report from the three credit bureaus once a year to check for fraudulent activity or other discrepancies.
7. Never leave receipts at bank machines, bank counters, trash receptacles, or unattended gasoline pumps.  Keep track of all your paperwork.  When you no longer need it, destroy it.
8. Keep a list or photocopy of all of the contents in your wallet so you can quickly contact your creditors in case your cards are lost or stolen.  Do the same with bank accounts.
9. When creating passwords and PINS do not use anything that could be easily discovered by thieves.
10. Memorize your social security number and all of your passwords.  Do not record them on any cards or on anything in your wallet or purse.
11. Sign all new credit cards upon receipt.
12. Limit the number of credit cards you carry.
13. Save all credit card receipts and match them against your monthly bills.  Cancel all unused credit card accounts.
14. Be conscious of normal receipt of routine financial statements.  Contact the sender if they are not received in the mail.  Check statements for discrepancies.
15. Notify your credit card companies and financial institutions in advance of any change of address or phone number.  If you are moving, get a post office box and have all of your mail sent there until you are securely in your new residence.
16. Never loan your credit cards to anyone else.
17. Never put your credit card or any other financial account number on a postcard or on the outside of an envelope.
18. If you applied for a new credit card and it has not arrived in a timely manner, call the bank or credit card company involved.
19. Report all lost or stolen credit cards immediately.
20. Closely monitor expiration dates on your credit cards.  Contact the credit card issuer if replacement cards are not received prior to the expiration dates.
21. Install a locked mailbox at your residence to reduce mail theft or use a post office box.
22. Have new checking account checks mailed to your bank rather than your home address if possible.
23. Beware of mail or telephone solicitations disguised as promotions offering instant prizes or awards designed solely to obtain your personal information or credit card numbers.
24. USE A SHREDDER TO DESTROY OLD DOCUMENTS!!!!!
25. Remove your name from the marketing lists of the three credit reporting bureaus-Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union.  This will limit the number of pre-approved offers of credit that you receive in the mail.
26. If you shop on the internet, use only one credit card which has a low, pre-set limit (e.g.: $300.00)