Filed under: Debt, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud

Luckily today it’s not hard to secure your credit information. As long as you’re not looking to take a loan any time soon, your first step should be to “freeze” your credit report. That way no one can open an account without getting permission from you to look at your credit history.

Once that’s in place, you’ll need to change some habits when handling key financial information. Here’s some easy steps you can take:

• Shred financial documents and paperwork that have any personal information before you throw them out. this includes all statements that have your account number or Social Security number on them. If you commonly write account numbers on checks when you pay bills, be sure to shred those too when you no longer need them.

• Safeguard your Social Security number at all times. Don’t carry your Social Security card regularly in your wallet or print it on your check. If a financial institution or medical insurance company, or anyone else for that matter, wants to use your Social Security number as part of an identification number, insist that they don’t.

• If you get unsolicited emails or emails that appear to be from your bank or a government bureau, don’t ever click on the link. If you think it might be legitimate, go to the official website of the financial institution or other company and then order what you want or provide the financial information they’re requesting. People who phish for information commonly use this trick by sending what looks like an official email and linking to a website that collects your information for identity theft purposes.

• When you create passwords on the World wide web, don’t use information that a thief could easily find out about you, such as your birth date, your mother’s maiden name, your address, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Develop a random series of numbers and letters instead.

• Always keep your personal information in a secure place in your home, especially if you’ve roommates or employ others who work in your home.

I can’t guarantee these steps will prevent all identity theft entirely, but they will certainly reduce your chances of being a victim.

Lita Epstein has written more than 20 books including the “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Improving Your Credit Score.”

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Filed under: Debt, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud

You might wonder how you can recognize whether or not you are a victim of identify theft. Here are some red flags:

• Your credit cards or other bills don’t arrive when you expect them. A thief could have changed your address with a financial institution and started using your credit card. He’ll change the address so it will take longer for you to figure out the problem. Most financial institutions grant you to look at your accounts on the web. Do so regularly to avoid this problem. If you see charges you don’t recognize call your bank’s customer service line immediately

• You start to receive credit cards for accounts you know you didn’t open yourself. Don’t hesitate one second. Call the financial institution that issued the card immediately.

• You are denied credit although you know you have a good credit history. Whenever you are denied credit for whatever reason you’re entitled to free copies of your credit reports from each of the three top credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. As part of that denial, you should get a letter that tells you how to get those free credit reports. Take advantage of this law and review your credit report to see what the problem is. If you find fraudulent accounts on your report, follow the instructions on the report that explain how to deal with fraudulent accounts.

• You get a call from a store about a buy you know you didn’t make. If you do get this type of call, don’t give out any information because the call could be a phishing attempt. But do find out as many details about the purchase as you can, as well as the caller’s name and contact information. Be sure you get the name of the company and then look up a contact number yourself. Call the company after you’ve checked it out. Only after you know the company is legitimate should you give out any personal information. Also, call your credit card company and let them know that your card was used fraudulently.

Any time you suspect fraud you should place a fraud alert at all three credit reporting agencies. They’ll place a 90-day fraud alert on your account, which can be extended. They’ll also send you a copy of your report to be sure there aren’t other problems. Here are the contact numbers to report fraud:

• Equifax - 1-800-525-6285

• Experian - 1-888-397-3742

• TransUnion - 1-800-680-7289

You can never err by being too cautious. It’s superior to report a possible fraud attempt and be wrong, than not to report one and grant a problem to continue to grow and fester.

Lita Epstein has written more than 20 books including the “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Improving Your Credit Score.”

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