Small Steps to Prevent Identity Theft

• Take your social security card out of your wallet and put it in a safe place. Memorize the number so you can carry it in your head, not in your wallet.

• If your medical insurance company uses your social security number as your ID, don’t carry the card in your wallet. Instead, carry a copy of your insurance card or Medicare card, cross off your social security number, and supply the number to the medical clerk when she needs it.

• Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. If your wallet is lost, you will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep those numbers where you can find them easily.

Your checkbook

• Leave your first name off your checks. If someone takes your checkbook they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name. Your bank will be better able to detect that it isn’t your signature.

• Eliminate other personal information from your checks. Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. Never have your social security number printed on your checks -- if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

• When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line.  Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

• Pay by debit card or electronic payments when you can, to eliminate potential problems in the mails and processing. The fewer people between you and the recipient, the fewer problems that can arise.

• File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your wallet was stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation.

• Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
  
  The numbers are:
  Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
  Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
  Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
  Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

To prevent internet fraud

• Be creative. Choose a PIN (personal identification number) that a smart thief couldn't figure out. Avoid obvious choices, such as your address, phone number, or birth date.

• Keep your PIN private. Memorize it. Don't write it down and never tell it to anyone.

Other tips

• Always take sales receipts and carbons. They may contain valuable information a thief could use to make mail, phone, or Internet purchases on your account.

• Shred financial documents and junk mail offers for credit cards –shredders are inexpensive and well worth the investment.