What You Can Do

Watch your credit. Order credit reports annually from the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax (1-800-685-1111), PO Box 105851, Atlanta, GA 30348; TransUnion (1-800-888-4213), PO Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022; and Experian (1-888-397-3742), PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013. Report errors in writing.

Be stingy with personal information. Never give out your Social Security number, birth date, or mother's maiden name, unless you asked for the transaction. Do not put such information on forms except for employment, financing, and insurance. Never put such information on a web site or anywhere that is available to the public.

Just say no. Tell your bank that you "opt out" of information sharing. Also, avoid pre-approved credit offers by calling the Credit Reporting Industry Pre-Screening Opt-Out number at 1-888-567-8688.

Travel light. "Don't carry ID that contains sensitive data like your SSN unless absolutely necessary" (16).

Lock it up. Lock your desk, cabinets and safes at the office and at home. Don't leave access to anything sensitive like your driver's license or government ID.

Shred and destroy. Shred any papers containing SSN, account numbers, birth dates. Destroy CDs and floppy disks containing sensitive data. Reformat your hard drive before discarding it.

Guard mail. Discourage mail theft by using a locked mailbox or a postal mailbox.

Keep your eye on the card. Crooks use a handheld card reader to copy your credit and debit card information. So don't lete waiters, sales clerks, or gas station attendants take your card out of your sight.

Beware strage ATMs. Avoid private or strange-looking ATMs. They may be rigged to skim data off your card.

Avoid "shoulder surfers." When using pay phones, ATMs, and public Internet access, avoid letting people see what you are doing. "Don't use cordless phones to conduct sensitive financial or medical business" because it's easy to listen in on cordless signals.

Build a wall. Use a firewall and anti-virus software on your computer to stop hackers.

Log off. "Quit your browser and log off after using public Internet-access computers in libraries, Internet cafes, and the like. Don't pay bills, bank, or conduct other financial transactions on public computers. If you have a high-speed Internet connection at home, unplug the computer's cable or phone line when you are not using it to discourage hackers" (17).

Deal only with reputable Web sittes. "A professional-looking Web site is no guarantee of security" (17). Check out the site's privacy and security policies. Check with others about their experiences at the site. Don't use it unless you trust the company and the site. Don't respond to unsolicited emails which ask for personal information.

Use passwords. All your bank and brokerage accounts should have passwords. Use passwords that area not in the dictionary. Consider using a combination of letters and numbers.

Check your workplace. "Ask how your employer safeguards employee records. Request that Social Security numbers not be used as employee ID numbers" (17).

If You Become A Victim

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (1-877-ID-THEFT). Use an ID theft affidavit from http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ to notify merchants, banks, and credit bureaus.

Alert credit-reporting agencies.

Notify banks, creditors, utilities. Close accounts used by thieves. Changeg your passwords and PINs.

For more information:

• Identity Theft Resource Center
  
• see the article from which this information came: "Stop Thieves From Stealing You." Consumer Reports, October, 2003: 12-17).