-
Obtain your credit report from the credit bureaus
at least once a year. Make sure it is accurate. Under new legislation
signed by President Bush on Dec. 4, 2003, the Fair and Accurate Credit
Transaction Act enables you to obtain a free copy of your credit
report each year from the three credit bureau organizations listed
below.
-
Add passwords to your credit card, bank and phone
accounts. Don't use passwords that are easy to figure out such as your
mom's maiden name or your birthday. Use a mix of letters (upper and
lower case), symbols and numbers.
Protect personal information in your house, especially if you hire
outside help for services in your home.
-
Don't give personal information on the phone, by
mail or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact.
-
Shred important documents before disposing of them.
Remember charge card receipts, insurance forms, physician statements,
bank statements and credit card offers.
-
Take outgoing mail to the post office or a post
office collection box instead of an unsecured mailbox. When you'll be
away from home, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to hold
your mail.
-
Inquire about your employer's information security
policy. Ask who has access to your personal information and make sure
records are kept in a secure location.
-
Protect your Social Security card and number. Don't
carry it with you. If others request your Social Security number, ask
why they need it and how it will be used.
-
Watch for your bills. If they don't arrive on time,
find out why. A missing credit card statement could mean someone has
redirected your bills to another address to cover his tracks.
-
Protect your computer. Update your virus protection
regularly, especially when a new virus alert is announced. Don't
download files or open hyperlinks from strangers. Use a firewall
program if you have high-speed Internet connection. If you must store
financial information on your laptop, use a strong password and always
log off when finished. Before selling your computer, use a "wipe"
program to overwrite the entire hard drive. Just deleting files may
not completely remove them from your hard drive.
-
If you don’t initiate the call or e-mail, never
give out your personal financial information. If someone calls you or
e-mails you asking for your personal information, never give it out.
Banks would never call or e-mail their customers asking for the
information.
-
Do not respond to e-mail that may warn of shutting
down your account or other dire consequences unless you validate your
information immediately. Contact the company to confirm the e-mail’s
validity using a telephone number or Web address you know to be
genuine.
-
Check your credit card and bank account statements
regularly and look for unauthorized transactions, even small ones.
Some thieves hope small transactions will go unnoticed. Report
discrepancies immediately.
-
When submitting financial information to a Web
site, look for the padlock or key icon at the bottom of your browser,
and make sure the Internet address begins with “https.” This should
signal that your information is secure during transmission.
-
Report suspicious activity to the Internet Crime
Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White
Collar Crime Center. You can file a complaint at
www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp
-
If you respond to an email you believe to be
fraudulent contact our bank immediately. For more information on
phishing, visit the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at
www.fdic.gov , the Federal Trade Commission at
www.ftc.gov or the
Anti-Phishing Working Group at www.antiphishing.org
