Prevention

1. If you do not recognize the number on your caller ID, do not take the call. If it appears to be local and you answer only to find out it is a sales or robot/computer generated call, hang up.

2. When asked for personal information as confirmation before a store will accept your check or credit card, note the information in writing – do not voice your phone number, social security number or any other information.

3. Do not set aside your purse for even five minutes.

4. Turn off your voice recognition programs/features when you are not using them.

5. Turn off your computer devices when you are not using them – or at least the WIFI/internet connections.

6. Do not carry your social security cards with you.

7. Never give out personal information.

8. Watch for “shoulder surfers” – people to watch over your shoulder to observe as you enter passwords and pin information.

9. Collect mail promptly – install a lockbox, if possible. If you are disabled, file the appropriate paperwork from your doctor, to the PO so that your mailbox can be affixed to your house rather than the curb.

10. Double check your monthly bank, credit card and insurance statements.

11. Shred papers with personal information – or burn them in burn approved devices, where permitted.

12. Review your credit reports.

13. Do a background check.

14. If you are approached by email to confirm personal information. Hang up and call the company on a number you know is a good number and confirm the request, or report the issue.

15. Do your research, verify a charity is legitimate before making a donation.

16. When in restaurants, take your bill to the cash register and pay – do not give your credit card to the wait staff. They may be trustworthy, but to steal your ID all they have to do is take a picture of the front and the back of your credit card.

17. Computer or telephone service – when you take your computer or phone in for service, all your personal information is on that device. Computer techs are not usually bonded or insured. You have no recourse if your information is stolen.

18. Research products and talk to your doctor before you purchase anything that appears as a “wonder” drug or product.

19. Do not respond to any email you get from financial institutions (banks, investment houses, credit card company) or business you deal with regularly unless you verify the recipient’s email address is valid. Call the business in your response – do not click on any links within the email.

20. Pay with a credit card first. You may have some recourse. Credit cards are considered safer than cash. The Truth in Leading Act limits consumer liability to $50 for unauthorized use of plastic. Debit cards the liability jumps to $500 if fraud isn’t reported within two-days. Liability is unlimited if you wait 60 days.

21. Don’t trust your caller ID. Scammers can make caller ID look like anyone is calling: the IRS, a business or government office. If they tell you to pay money for any reason, or ask for your financial account numbers, hang up. If you think the caller might be legitimate, call back to a number you know is genuine – not the number the caller gave you.

22. Any phone call that starts by asking a question that will prompt a “Yes” for response – hang up and do not hold a conversation with the caller. The call will be recorded and then your voice will be spliced into a conversation “agreeing” to purchase some product or service.

23. There are “paid” services that claim they will monitor your financial accounts and promise you will not suffer from identity theft; and help you when the worst happens. Are they doing anything over and above what you can do or will be expected to do, under their direction, yourself. Is the offer legitimate? Some protection is automatically provided through your bank, credit card companies, insurance companies, etc. Verify what protection you already have. Nobody can guarantee you won’t experience identity theft. Those services offer identity monitoring and repair — things you can do yourself, for free.
Concern about identity theft has spawned many companies that watch information sources — most notably, your credit report — for signs that an identity thief may be using your personal information to get loans, open credit card accounts, or otherwise cause financial havoc. You can pay them to alert you to possible trouble, or simply keep watch yourself.

What if you find an identity thief has struck? You can get free recovery help at IdentityTheft.gov.

You can report identity theft to the FTC and get a personal recovery plan that:

• walks you through each recovery step
• tracks your progress and adapts to your changing situation
• pre-fills letters and forms for you to send to credit bureaus, businesses, debt collectors, and the IRS

24. Contact your credit card company via their website or telephone and request that security alert be setup on your account to notify you via text message, telephone call or email immediately when your number has been used to charge above a certain amount, or without presentation of the card.

25. Never give credit card or checking account numbers over the telephone unless you “initiated” the call and are certain of the company’s credentials.

26. Your computer manufacturer, Microsoft, nor any software company in which you have software installed will contact you via email.

27. Be aware of phishing expeditions where scammers send you an email that appears legitimately from your bank or credit card company or some other business you are connected with – but it is not. Once you give them the information, it is out of your control.

28. Do not post on social networks your personal information or travel schedule.

29. Do not carry your social security card in your wallet.

30. Do not print your SSN or driver’s license number on your checks.

31. Shred sensitive/personal information

32. Keep copies of credit cards (front and back) in a safe place in case a card is lost or stolen.

33. Keep a copy of your Passport in a safe place in case a card is lost or stolen.

34. Keep a copy of your driver’s license in a safe place in case a card is lost or stolen.

35. Watch for missing bills and financial statements.

36. Do not discuss or enter into an investment with someone you have no personal history, has not been recommended to you, or that you have not done a background check on. You might be able to find information about them at: finra.org/BrokerCheck and sec.gov.

37. Protect your personal ID numbers, Pins and Passwords. Do not share them unless you really trust the individual. Do not leave them lying around and accessible. It is a nightmare, but it is not recommended that you use the same password or pin number for all accounts.

38. If you get peculiar looking emails, forward them to: spam@uce.gov.

39. Avoid conducting personal or financial business over public telephones, especially in public. You do not know who could be listening.

40. Keep your computer’s operating system up to date as well as any malicious software or antivirus programs you are running.

41. When shopping online, be sure you are on a secure “https” website.

42. Do not post personal, financial or travel information on any social network.

43. Adjust your social network settings to limit, somewhat, the distribution of your postings and those that have access to your postings.

44. Register at dmachoice.org – you tell them what mail you want to receive and they supposedly stop the rest.

45. Contact credit reporting agencies to place a credit freeze on your credit reports to block anyone from accessing your credit reports without your permission. Because potential creditors can’t check your files, a freeze generally stops identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name.