Preventing ID Theft & Fraud
Tips on Preventing ID Theft & Fraud 
1) Review your credit report regularly. There are many online services that will send you your credit report every month for a nominal fee.
2) Review your online or paper statements for your bank and credit card accounts to ensure that only your activity is on them.
3) Do not reveal your Social Security number unless you are sure of the entity and purpose for which it is being revealed. Always ask the entity you are revealing it to if they shred all of their information.
4) Do not give out your account numbers, login information or passwords for online transactions to others.
5) If you order checks, contact the bank promptly if you do not receive them in the specified delivery period.
6) Know when your account & bank statements come to you by mail, and contact the account holder or bank if you do not receive them by the usual dates.
7) When traveling, have your mail held at the post office or have it picked up regularly by someone you trust.
8) Make sure you do not send your credit card information for online purchases through websites that are not secured & encrypted or by mail.
9) Be aware of those behind you when using the ATM; guard viewing access to your pin entry.
10) Do not give your credit card, Social Security number or other personal information to telephone solicitors.
11)If you receive an e-mail directing you to the website of a company with which you do business , requesting for you to provide account numbers or private information, do not provide the information. Contact the company directly to determine the legitimacy of such a request.
12) Do not write your account information or pin numbers on cards or places whereby a thief may be able to access both credit cards and pin numbers in the same theft. For example, do not write your pin numbers on the backs of your credit cards.
13) If you order your own credit report, store the printed version of the report safely.
14) Consider "opting out" of receiving direct mail, which often contains "pre-approved" credit card offers.
15) Never throw out confidential and sensitive information. You should shred this information on a regular basis.
1) Review your credit report regularly. There are many online services that will send you your credit report every month for a nominal fee.
2) Review your online or paper statements for your bank and credit card accounts to ensure that only your activity is on them.
3) Do not reveal your Social Security number unless you are sure of the entity and purpose for which it is being revealed. Always ask the entity you are revealing it to if they shred all of their information.
4) Do not give out your account numbers, login information or passwords for online transactions to others.
5) If you order checks, contact the bank promptly if you do not receive them in the specified delivery period.
6) Know when your account & bank statements come to you by mail, and contact the account holder or bank if you do not receive them by the usual dates.
7) When traveling, have your mail held at the post office or have it picked up regularly by someone you trust.
8) Make sure you do not send your credit card information for online purchases through websites that are not secured & encrypted or by mail.
9) Be aware of those behind you when using the ATM; guard viewing access to your pin entry.
10) Do not give your credit card, Social Security number or other personal information to telephone solicitors.
11)If you receive an e-mail directing you to the website of a company with which you do business , requesting for you to provide account numbers or private information, do not provide the information. Contact the company directly to determine the legitimacy of such a request.
12) Do not write your account information or pin numbers on cards or places whereby a thief may be able to access both credit cards and pin numbers in the same theft. For example, do not write your pin numbers on the backs of your credit cards.
13) If you order your own credit report, store the printed version of the report safely.
14) Consider "opting out" of receiving direct mail, which often contains "pre-approved" credit card offers.
15) Never throw out confidential and sensitive information. You should shred this information on a regular basis.
4563 Mariotti Court #101
Sarasota, FL. 34233
(941) 927-7586
(941) 923-7504 fax
sdshred@yahoo.com
Monday - Friday
9 AM - 4 PM
What To Do If Your Identity Is Stolen
1) Call the fraud units of the three national credit bureaus:
Equifax:
- To report fraud, call 1-800-525-6285 or write to P.O Box 740250,
Atlanta, GA. 30374-0250.
- To order a copy of your credit report, call 1-800-685-1111.
- To dispute information in your report, call the phone number provided
in your credit report.
- To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists, call
1-888-567-8688 or write to Equifax Options, P.O. Box 740123,
Atlanta, GA. 30374-0123
Experian:
- To report fraud, call 1-888-EXPERIAN or 1-888-397-3742, fax to
1-800-301-7196, or write to P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX. 75013
- To order a copy of your credit report, call 1-888-EXPERIAN
- To dispute information in your report, call the phone number
provided on your credit report.
- To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists, call
1-800-353-0809 or 1-888-5OPTOUT or write to P.O. Box 919, Allen,
TX.75013
TransUnion:
- To report fraud, call 1-800-680-7289 or write to P.O. Box 6790,
Fullerton, CA. 92634
- To order a copy of your credit report, call 1-800-888-4213
- To dispute information in your report, call the phone number
provided on your credit report
- To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists,
call 1-800-680-7293 or 1-888-5OPTOUT or write to P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS. 39238
2) Contact all creditors with whom your name or identifying data have been fraudelently used. Keep this contact information handy as you set up your accounts so that you can retrieve it quickly and easily in a time of distress.
3) Contact all financial institutions where you have accounts that an identity thief has taken over or that have been created in your name but without your knowledge. You may need to cancel those accounts, place stop-payment orders on any outstanding checks that may not have cleared, and change your ATM, account, and PIN numbers.
4) Contact the major check verification companies (listed in the CalPIRG - Privacy Rights Clearinghouse checklist) if you have had checks stolen or bank accounts set up by an identity thief. In particular, if you know that a particular merchant has received a check stolen from you, contact the verification company that the merchant uses:
- CheckRite: 1-800-766-2748
- ChexSystems: 1-800-428-9623 (closed checking accounts)
- CrossCheck: 1-800-552-1900
- Equifax: 1-800-437-5120
- National Processing Co. (NPC): 1-800-526-5380
- SCAN: 1-800-262-7771
- TeleCheck: 1-800-710-9898
5) Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report the situation by telephone at 1-877-IDTHEFT or 1-877-438-4338 or by mail to Consumer Respone Center, FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 20580
6) You may also need to contact other agencies for other types of identity theft:
- Your local office of the Postal Inspection Service if you suspect
that an identity thief has submitted a change-of-address form
with the Post Office to redirect your mail, or has used the mail
to commit frauds involving your idenitity.
- The Social Security Administration if you suspect that your
Social Security number is being fraudulently used (1-800-269-
0271 to report the fraud)
- The Internal Revenue Service if you suspect the improper use of
identification information in connect with tax violations (call 1-800
-829-0433 to report the violations)
1) Call the fraud units of the three national credit bureaus:
Equifax:
- To report fraud, call 1-800-525-6285 or write to P.O Box 740250,
Atlanta, GA. 30374-0250.
- To order a copy of your credit report, call 1-800-685-1111.
- To dispute information in your report, call the phone number provided
in your credit report.
- To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists, call
1-888-567-8688 or write to Equifax Options, P.O. Box 740123,
Atlanta, GA. 30374-0123
Experian:
- To report fraud, call 1-888-EXPERIAN or 1-888-397-3742, fax to
1-800-301-7196, or write to P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX. 75013
- To order a copy of your credit report, call 1-888-EXPERIAN
- To dispute information in your report, call the phone number
provided on your credit report.
- To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists, call
1-800-353-0809 or 1-888-5OPTOUT or write to P.O. Box 919, Allen,
TX.75013
TransUnion:
- To report fraud, call 1-800-680-7289 or write to P.O. Box 6790,
Fullerton, CA. 92634
- To order a copy of your credit report, call 1-800-888-4213
- To dispute information in your report, call the phone number
provided on your credit report
- To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists,
call 1-800-680-7293 or 1-888-5OPTOUT or write to P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS. 39238
2) Contact all creditors with whom your name or identifying data have been fraudelently used. Keep this contact information handy as you set up your accounts so that you can retrieve it quickly and easily in a time of distress.
3) Contact all financial institutions where you have accounts that an identity thief has taken over or that have been created in your name but without your knowledge. You may need to cancel those accounts, place stop-payment orders on any outstanding checks that may not have cleared, and change your ATM, account, and PIN numbers.
4) Contact the major check verification companies (listed in the CalPIRG - Privacy Rights Clearinghouse checklist) if you have had checks stolen or bank accounts set up by an identity thief. In particular, if you know that a particular merchant has received a check stolen from you, contact the verification company that the merchant uses:
- CheckRite: 1-800-766-2748
- ChexSystems: 1-800-428-9623 (closed checking accounts)
- CrossCheck: 1-800-552-1900
- Equifax: 1-800-437-5120
- National Processing Co. (NPC): 1-800-526-5380
- SCAN: 1-800-262-7771
- TeleCheck: 1-800-710-9898
5) Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report the situation by telephone at 1-877-IDTHEFT or 1-877-438-4338 or by mail to Consumer Respone Center, FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 20580
6) You may also need to contact other agencies for other types of identity theft:
- Your local office of the Postal Inspection Service if you suspect
that an identity thief has submitted a change-of-address form
with the Post Office to redirect your mail, or has used the mail
to commit frauds involving your idenitity.
- The Social Security Administration if you suspect that your
Social Security number is being fraudulently used (1-800-269-
0271 to report the fraud)
- The Internal Revenue Service if you suspect the improper use of
identification information in connect with tax violations (call 1-800
-829-0433 to report the violations)
