Fraud Protection

If you are a victim of Identity theft follow these steps: 

1. Contact the fraud department of at least one of the following three major credit reporting agencies and ask that a fraud alert be placed in your credit file and for a free credit report. 

2. Close all accounts that are or may be affected by the identity theft. Contact the following major check verification companies and ask that retailers using their databases not accept checks drawn on your closed accounts. 

3. File a police report and obtain a copy for submission to credit reporting agencies, creditors, and others. 

4. Contact the Federal Trade Commission to report the theft and obtain further guidance as to how to protect yourself: 

• consumer.gov/idtheft 
• 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
• Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washing, DC 20580

5. Contact the U.S. Postal Service if you now or suspect your mail has been stolen. 

6. Keep detailed records of any theft of your identity and of your activities to resolve the theft, including logs of the following: 

• The date, time, and amount of any unauthorized activity on your accounts; 
• The date, time, duration, and cost of any phone calls; and 
• The date and cost of any mailings. 

What can you do to prevent fraud? 

There are several steps you can take to protect your privacy. 

• Keep your credit cards, debit cards, personal identification numbers (PINS), checks, social security number, driver’s license number, and other personal information in a safe place. 

• Keep deposit and withdrawal slips and credit and debit card receipts where they will be safe, and always shred them first before their disposed. 

• Before disposing of credit card solicitations, credit card statements, financial institution statements, utility bills, insurance information, medical bills, and investment updates, shred them first. Don’t carry around any more credit or debit cards than necessary. Don’t give any of your personal information to anyone in person, over the phone, or over the internet, unless you have a very good reason to trust them. 

• Don’t give your personal information in response to an unsolicited e-mail claiming to be from your financial institution or other highly credible source. 

• Use a firewall if you have high-speed internet connection. Don’t use PINS or other passwords that are easy to guess (such as family birth dates or your pet’s name). 

• Examine your credit card, debit card, and bank statements to determine whether there are any unauthorized transactions.