Credit Reports

A credit report shows you your credit history. The three places where you can get a credit report that have been approved by the government are called credit bureaus. (Equifax,  Experian, and Transunion) You are entitled to three free credit reports each year, one from each bureau. Check your credit reports regularly to make sure no unauthorized accounts have been opened. If you see new credit card accounts or loans listed that you did not open, you may be a victim of idenity theft. While credit reports won't prevent identity theft, they are one of the best ways to catch the fraud quickly so you can take action to protect yourself.

Unauthorized Charges

Check your credit card and bank statements monthly for any charges you did not make. Most major credit card companies watch for large increases in the size and number of purchases and may contact if they are concerned fraud is occurring. With most banks and credit card companies you can set up notifications to be sent via text or email when purchases are made on your credit or debit card. Take advantage of this feature so that you will know immediately if someone is using your card number or if your card was stolen. Check with your bank and credit card company to see how much liability you will have in case of fraud.

Be Careful Giving Out Information

"Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, often for malicious reasons, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication." Wikipedia.org

You may receive phishing emails or phone calls from people posing as organizations like the IRS or your bank. If you think that your bank, credit card company, or IRS needs to contact you do not give out personal information such as social security numbers, birthdates, credit card, or bank account numbers over the phone unless you call them.

Identity Theft Products and Insurance Policies

Third party products and insurance policies are also available for a charge. Here is a list of product reviews from  NextAdvisor.com

Shredders and Mail

Identity thieves have been known to dig through personal or business trash or mailboxes to find papers containing personal information. Purchase a shedder to shred your personal, financial, or medical documents before throwing them away. Any credit cards that you no longer use or do not want should be cut up before being thrown away. Check your mail frequently. Sometimes credit card companies will send you cards to sign up for. If someone signed up for and used one of these cards in your name they would be spending the money and you would be the one getting charged. When paying bills or mailing documents with sensitive information place the envelope directly in a secured US Postal box instead of the personal mailbox at your home. If you will be out of town have a friend or family member remove all mail from your mailbox.

Secure Your Information

Keep your identity information in a secure location. Do not leave driver's licenses, passports, social security cards, or birth certificates sitting out in public places, cars, dorm rooms, or any other place someone else has access it. Do not leave your backpack, wallet, or purse laying unattended when out in public. Bank statements, credit card statements, loan or scholarship applications should be kept locked in drawers. When they are no longer needed they should be shredded. If you have personal information on your computer or phone protect them with a strong password by using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters and install an antivirus program or firewall on your computer.

Secure Websites

Whether shopping, banking, or paying bills, you need to make sure that the information you share online is secure and will not be shared with anyone else. If you are about to share personal information or make purchases make sure that site is secure by checking that there is an "s" on the end of "http" in the URL line of your browser. Https sites use data encryption to prevent hacking of personal information. ​