You can take steps to protect yourself and reduce your risk.
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Do not give any type of personal information to unknown individuals, whether over the phone, in writing or on the Internet.
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Protect your PIN (Personal Identification Number) numbers and passwords that allow access to your accounts.
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Do not leave outgoing mail in your residential mailbox for the postman to pick it up - deliver your outgoing mail instead to an official postal drop box, preferably one located at a U.S. Post Office. Pick up the delivered mail as soon as possible after the carrier leaves it in your mailbox.
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Similarly, when leaving for vacation, fill out a hold request with your local U.S. Post Office. Consider buying a locking mailbox that allows mail to be deposited by your local letter carrier, but not removed without a key.
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Be aware of the dates when you are expecting checks in the mail (criminals know more or less when government checks arrive). If possible, request direct deposit instead of a check.
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Determine whether you have been receiving your mail at scheduled intervals. Know about when you should be receiving bills in the mail. Call the creditor to inquire if bills are significantly delayed.
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Be aware of identity theft scams that appear to be sweepstakes, raffles or surveys.
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Limit the identification information and the number of credit and debit cards that you carry to what you'll actually need for the day or period of travel.
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To thwart an identity thief who may pick through your trash or recycling bins, tear or shred all documents containing personal identifiers prior to discarding. This includes charge receipts, copies of credit applications or offers, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, and expired charge cards.
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Be aware of your surroundings when using your ATM card, debit card or credit card. If a store or restaurant attendant has to swipe your card, watch to see if it is swiped more than one time or on more than one terminal. If you are using the card at an automated teller machine, cover the keypad with one hand while entering your PIN with the other to avoid "shoulder surfers." Avoid using ATMs that seem unusual, altered, or not maintained by a reputable bank.
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Purchase and install security software such as firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware programs on your personal computer and electronic devices. Update these programs when new versions are made available.
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Ignore suspicious emails or unsolicited emails ("spam"), particularly those that appear to be from banks, credit card companies, financial institutions and internet service providers. Legitimate businesses, particularly banks, do not contact customers or account holders via unsolicited emails to request personal identifiers and account information.
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Computer users should attempt to completely ignore these types of emails, which are commonly referred to as "phishing," because simply opening them could unleash embedded programs ("spyware") that could be stored on your computer and actually report passwords or keystrokes over the internet to offenders responsible for the email. For more information, visit the
Federal Trade Commission's site on phishing.
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Be careful when typing web addresses and verify the correct spelling of a web address before hitting the browser's send button. In anticipation of misspelled addresses, offenders have set up "spoofed" web sites with the misspelled web address but designed to look like the legitimate site, and poised to accept personal information, like credit card account numbers and passwords, entered by users who mistakenly believe they are at the legitimate page.
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Order your credit report from each credit reporting agency once a year in order to review it and verify information. Review those reports carefully and contact any listed creditors that have reported erroneous information or creditors for accounts that appear suspicious or fraudulent to you.
