2
Educational Series Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp. 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization 3310 N Federal Hwy, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064 Tel 866.618.DEBT (3328) / Fax 954.545.4510 Your Guide To Debt Freedom www.dmcconline.org Educational Series DMCC 2013 Educational Series Available Online. www.dmcconline.org Review your credit card and bank account statements for unidentified transactions. If a statement is late, immediately call the sender. Shred all statements when you are finished with them. Review your credit reports from all three major credit bureaus for unidentified or inaccurate information. Do not give out personal information to anyone you do not know or have not properly identified. Do not leave any important documents in your mailbox. Deposit your outgoing letters directly into an official USPS mailbox. Shred any credit card or pre-approved loan offers you receive and all other documents containing personal information. Do not place them in the trash where they may be stolen. Do not carry your social security card around with you, and carry only a minimal number of ID cards and credit cards, in case you lose your wallet or handbag. Keep them at home in a safe place until needed. Tips to Avoid Identity Theft Do not respond to email, text, and phone messages that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies will not ask for information this way. Delete the messages. Password protect your home computers and mobile devices, including your cell phone. Create passwords for devices and accounts that mix letters, numbers, and special characters, and keep them in a safe place. If you shop or bank online, only use websites that protect your financial information with encryption. An encrypted site has "https" at the beginning of the web address; "s" is for secure. If you use a public wireless network, do not send information to any website that is not fully encrypted. Use a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer. Set your computer's operating system, web browser, and security software to update automatically Order a copy of your free annual report. You are entitled to receive ONE FREE credit report every 12 months from each of the three credit reporting agencies. You can choose to order all three at the same time, or space them out over the 12 month period. Order your free report by phone, 877-322-8228 or online, www.annualcreditreport.com 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 PRIVACY & IDENTITY THEFT There are a variety of commercial services that, for a fee, will monitor your credit reports for activity and alert you to changes to your accounts. Prices and services vary widely. Many of the services only monitor one of the three major consumer reporting companies. If you’re considering signing up for a service, make sure you understand what you’re getting before you buy.

Identity Theft

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Identity theft is a serious crime. It can disrupt your finances, credit history, and reputation, and take time, money, and patience to resolve.

Citation preview

Page 1: Identity Theft

Educational Series

Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp.501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization

3310 N Federal Hwy, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064Tel 866.618.DEBT (3328) / Fax 954.545.4510

Your Guide To Debt Freedom

www.dmcconline.org

Educational SeriesDMCC 2013 Educational Series Available Online.

www.dmcconline.org

Review your credit card and bank account statements for unidentified transactions. If a statement is late, immediately call the sender. Shred all statements when you are finished with them.

Review your credit reports from all three major credit bureaus for unidentified or inaccurate information.

Do not give out personal information to anyone you do not know or have not properly identified.

Do not leave any important documents in your mailbox. Deposit your outgoing letters directly into an official USPS mailbox.

Shred any credit card or pre-approved loan offers you receive and all other documents containing personal information. Do not place them in the trash where they may be stolen.

Do not carry your social security card around with you, and carry only a minimal number of ID cards and credit cards, in case you lose your wallet or handbag. Keep them at home in a safe place until needed.

Tips to Avoid Identity Theft

Do not respond to email, text, and phone messages that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies will not ask for information this way. Delete the messages.

Password protect your home computers and mobile devices, including your cell phone.

Create passwords for devices and accounts that mix letters, numbers, and special characters, and keep them in a safe place.

If you shop or bank online, only use websites that protect your financial information with encryption. An encrypted site has "https" at the beginning of the web address; "s" is for secure.

If you use a public wireless network, do not send information to any website that is not fully encrypted.

Use a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer.

Set your computer's operating system, web browser, and security software to update automatically

Order a copy of your free annual report. You are entitled to receive ONE FREE credit report every 12 months from each of the three credit reporting agencies.

You can choose to order all three at the same time, or space them out over the 12 month period.

Order your free report by phone, 877-322-8228 or online, www.annualcreditreport.com

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

PRIVACY &IDENTITY THEFT

There are a variety of commercial services that, for a fee, will

monitor your credit reports for activity and alert you to

changes to your accounts. Prices and services vary widely.

Many of the services only monitor one of the three

major consumer reporting companies. If you’re

considering signing up for a service, make sure

you understand what you’re getting before

you buy.

Page 2: Identity Theft

How will I know if my identity has been stolen?

It is not always immediately apparent when your identity has been stolen, so it is imperative you recognize the danger signs when they occur. Here are some "red flags" that you should be on alert for:

Mistakes on your bank, credit card, or other account statements

Mistakes or unidentified medical claims on your health plan statements

Your regular bills and account statements do not arrive on time

Bills or collection notices for products or services you never received

Calls from debt collectors about debts that do not belong to you

Notices from the IRS of multiple tax returns being filed for you

Unidentified accounts or inquiries on your credit reports

Notices of a data breach at a company where you do business or have an account

What should I do if my personal information is lost or stolen?

File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. If your wallet, Social Security card, or other personal, financial, or account information is lost or stolen, contact the credit reporting companies and place a fraud alert on your credit file. Then, get a copy of the police report or at the very least, the number of the report. It can help you deal with creditors who need proof of the crime.

Do not wait until your identity is actually stolen and used. Monitor your credit reports, bank statements and other account statements for unusual activity. Immediately report to the credit bureaus and your account issuers any unidentified or fraudulent activity.

Depending on what information was lost or stolen, you may also want to take additional steps. For example, if your computer, cell phone or something else containing your passwords or pins was lost or stolen, you should immediately change them.

How do thieves get my personal information?

Identity thieves have many ways to get a hold of your personal information. Some of the traditional ways are as follows:

going through trash cans and dumpsters for your personal bills and documentsstealing your information from businesses, medical offices, or government agenciesmisusing the name of a legitimate business and tricking you into revealing informationpretending to offer you a job, a loan, or an apartment requiring your information to "qualify" stealing your wallet, purse, backpack, or mail containing your personal information

However, in this new millennium, cyberspace may be the biggest source of personal information for identity thieves. See the New Millennium Methods table in this brochure for some of the more common ways thieves now steal your personal information.

What do identity thieves do with my information?

Once identity thieves have your personal information, they can drain your bank account, run up charges on your credit cards, open new utility accounts, or get medical treatment on your health insurance. An identity thief might even file a tax return in your name and get your refund. In some extreme cases, a thief might even give your name to the police during an arrest.

1Number of identities stolen every three seconds¹

11.6 MillionNumber of U.S. adult identity theft victims in 2011¹

9.5How many times more likely you are to be an identity theft victim if you received a breach notification¹

1 Javelin Strategy & Research. 2012 Identity Fraud Survey Report. Feb. 2012.

2 FTC Consumer Sentinel Network, 2011

Identity theft is a serious crime. It can disrupt your finances, credit history, and reputation, and take time, money, and patience to resolve. Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permission.

Identity Theftby the Numbers

35Percentage of increased likelihood of fraud for Smartphone owners¹

1, 2, 3Florida, Georgia and California rankings for the highest per capita rate of reported identity theft complaints²

PHISHING occurs when thieves email you asking for personal info using official letterheads of banks and credit agencies.

Usually masked as security departments of these institutions, they demand personal

information as they are claiming your accounts may have been compromised. Never respond to these emails. Call or visit bank directly and inquire about your account.

SMISHING occurs when you receive a text on your phone informing you that you have been selected as a winner to receive a product and you are required to respond to claim your prize. Never respond to these texts! Delete immediately! If you respond, a malware virus will be installed on your device to search for your private information and transmit it back to the sender.

SKIMMING occurs when a thief has installed a magnetic swipe reader into a credit card scanner usually on a ATM machine or a gas pump at a service station. This skimmer will read and store the information from your credit card while also recording passwords and numeric codes you may enter to validate the use of the card. These are very difficult to identify!

for Identity Theft Pay attention daily to your bank account and credit card accounts. Immediately report fraudulent transactions. to your bank or creditor to eliminate any liability.

HI JACKING CALLER ID’s has become prevalent as technology has improved. Thieves have the ability to manipulate your caller ID and display fraudulent information hoping that you will give out personal information . If in doubt, hang up and call your creditor or bank directly alerting them to the call you received.

POCKET SCANNER similar to a credit card skimmer can be installed on your smart phone. Thieves will go into a crowd and put these skimmers close to a back pocket or purse that may contain a wallet full of credit cards. The thief can download the skimmer and go shopping. Consider buying a security wallet that has blocking material in the liner which will black the transmission of your information. This wallet will set off x-ray scanners at the airport!!

New MillenniumMethods

What isIdentity Theft