When Bad Things Happen In Your Good Name Identity theft is the crime of our times, a crime so widespread, with an impact so great, it destroys lives. More than ten million people were victims in 2002 alone, for a total loss of over $53 billion dollars.

What Is Identity Theft?

The Federal Trade Commission defines identity theft as stealing personal information such as your name, credit card number, drivers license number, or other personal identifying information to commit fraud.

The most common identity thefts occur when thieves use your name to:

• apply for telephone service
• apply for credit cards or loans
• buy merchandise
• lease cars or apartments
• obtain medical care
• assume your complete identity and live and work under your name, or
• commit crimes.

Why Is Identity Theft Rising So Quickly?

Identity theft is so widespread because it's so easy. Unfortunately, many of us are not taking precautions to decrease our risk.

How Can I Prevent Being a Victim of Identity Theft?

Take the following steps to prevent being a victim of identity theft:

1. Review your credit card statements monthly. Call your credit card company and question any items you don't recognize.
2. If you don't receive your credit card statement at the usual time, call your credit card company immediately. Someone could have stolen your account and changed the billing address so you wouldn't see the unauthorized charges.
3. Don't throw credit card slips, statements, and other documents containing personal information in the trash. Shred them.

1. Don't throw credit card offers in the trash without shredding them.
2. Obtain copies of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus yearly. Go through them with a fine tooth comb and question any accounts you see that don't appear to be yours.
3. Use direct deposit to have checks you receive regularly deposited directly to your bank account.
4. Reduce the number of pre-approved credit card offers you receive by calling 888-5OPT OUT (888-567-8688) to request that credit reporting bureaus not sell or share your personal information.
5. Guard your social security number.
6. Never give out personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call.
7. Avoid using ATMs at convenience stores, airports, malls, and kiosks. Bank ATMs generally have better security.
8. Don't use PIN numbers that are too easy to guess, like birth dates or the last four digits of your phone number.
9. Don't carry your social security card around with you.
10. Don't fall for "phishing" scams, where thieves send you email that looks like it's from a legitimate organization such as a bank or other organization you do business with, asking you to verify personal information. Don't click on the link provided in the email. You'll be routed to a fake site that looks legitimate, but is just a ploy to obtain your personal information.
11. Don't store personal information on your computer, which is vulnerable to hackers. Use a disk or CD.
12. When shopping online, make sure the locked padlock icon appears at the bottom of your browser window when you're on the ordering page. The site URL in the location bar of your browswer should also change from "http" to "https" when you're on the ordering page, indicating that it's a secure site.
13. When ordering online, don't click the box asking if you want to save your credit card information for easy ordering on your next visit. It's safer not to have this information stored on the seller's computers.
14. Use virus protection (like Norton Antivirus or McAffee) and security software (like Norton Internet Security or the free program Zone Alarm) to make it harder for thieves to hack into your computer. Update your virus definitions often (at least weekly).
15. Educate yourself about the scams that are currently circulating by checking the Scam Alert page of the ID Theft Center Web site.

What Should I Do If I Think I'm a Victim of Identity Theft?

You may discover you're a victim when you apply for a loan and your credit check reveals overdue payments on dozens of credit cards in your name that you didn't even know existed. It can take years and thousands of dollars to clear your good name. In the meantime, your credit history can be destroyed; you could be denied for mortgages, other loans, insurance and jobs; and you could lose your retirement savings.

If you think you're a victim of identity theft:

• Report the identity theft to your bank.
• Report the identity theft to each of your credit card companies and cancel all credit cards. Ask for new cards to be issued.
• File a report with your local police.
• Call the Federal Trade Commission at 877-438-4338 to report the crime.
• Contact one of the three major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) and reqeust that a fraud alert be placed on all your accounts. They're required to share this information with the other bureaus.
• Vist the Identity Theft Resource Center Web site at www.idtheftcenter.org for information and assistance in how to go about clearing your name.