Identity theft: What you can do
Here is Consumer Reports' advice on steps you can take to protect your identity and what to do if you believe it's already been compromised: Check financial statements promptly. Always review your monthly banking, brokerage, and credit-card statements for accuracy. Report problems immediately. Watch your credit. Order copies of your credit report every year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. They are: Equifax, 800-997-2493; TransUnion, 800-888-4213; and Experian, 888-397-3742. Report errors promptly and in writing. Be stingy with information. Never disclose your Social Security number, birth date, or mother's maiden name unless you initiated the transaction. On paper documents, don't include such data unless required to do so on an official application for employment, financing, or insurance. (Ask employers, schools, and financial institutions to offer alternatives.) Never put such information on personal Web pages or publicly posted résumés or directories. Just say no. Consider “opting out” of information-sharing at your financial institutions. (Check your company's financial privacy notice, which is mailed annually and usually posted on company Web sites, to find out how.) Also opt out of pre-approved credit offers by calling the Credit Reporting Industry Pre-Screening Opt-Out Number at 888-567-8688. Travel light. Don't carry ID that contains sensitive data like your Social Security number unless absolutely necessary. Lock it up. Safeguard your driver's license and other government ID at all times. Lock desks, cabinets, and safes containing such information in your office and home. Shred and destroy. Before throwing out files containing Social Security numbers, account numbers, and birth dates, shred them with a cross-cut shredder. Destroy CDs or floppy disks containing sensitive data by shredding, cutting, or breaking them. Use hard-drive shredding software or remove and destroy your hard drive before discarding a computer. Just deleting files isn't enough. Guard mail. Consider using a locked mailbox or slot to receive mail at home. Deposit mail in postal mailboxes or in the post office to discourage mail theft. Keep your eye on the prize. Try not to let waiters, sales clerks, or gas-station attendants disappear from view with your credit or debit card, to avoid “skimming.” Crooks can use a handheld card reader to copy the information from your card's magnetic strip. Beware strange ATMs. Avoid using private or strange-looking automated teller machines, because they may be rigged to skim data off your card's magnetic strip. Six- or seven-character PINs (personal identification numbers) are harder to crack than shorter ones, but you may not be able to use them at machines abroad. No surfing allowed. Watch out for “shoulder surfers” when using pay phones or public Internet access; use your free hand to shield the keypad. Don't use cordless phones to conduct sensitive financial or medical business, because eavesdroppers on other phones and those using eavesdropping equipment may be able to overhear your conversations. Build a wall. Install firewalls and virus-detection software on your home computers to discourage hackers. Log off. Quit your browser and log off after using public Internet-access computers in libraries, Internet cafes, and the like. Don't pay bills, bank, or conduct other financial transactions on public computers. If you have a high-speed Internet connection at home, unplug the computer's cable or phone line when you are not using it to discourage hackers. Deal only with reputable Web sites. Check privacy and security policies of Web sites before making purchases, trading stocks, or banking online. A professional-looking Web site is no guarantee of security. Don't respond to unsolicited e-mail requests for personal information. Get complicated. Consider password-protecting all your bank and brokerage accounts. Create passwords at least eight characters long. Check your workplace. Ask how your employer safeguards employee records. Request that Social Security numbers not be used as employee ID numbers. Get involved. If you are interested in asking Congress to pass stronger financial privacy protections, visit the web site of Financial Privacy now.org .
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