FP - Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft Lesson

Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft

It is important to protect your personal information and finances to reduce your risk of identity theft as discussed in the previous lesson. Several steps that can be taken to do this include:

Monitor your financial accounts closely, checking monthly and/or daily online statements and balances, and regularly checking your credit report.
When paying online, make sure the company you're buying from has a secure payment system. Note: There will be https:// and a padlock in the address bar.

Shred old financial documents rather than throwing them away.
Maintain computer security with firewalls and virus protection software.
Don't provide your personal information to people you don't know, or to companies (particularly online) if they don't seem legitimate.
Lock your financial documents and records in a safe place at home, and lock your wallet or purse in a safe place at work.
When you go out, take only the identification, credit, and debit cards you need. Leave your Social Security and medical cards at home or in a secure place.
Before you share information at your job, a business, your school, or a doctor's office, ask who will have access to your information, how it will be handled, and how it will be disposed of.

Dispute A Debt

A debt collector may contact you if an identity thief opens accounts in your name and doesn't pay the bills. To stop contact and collection action and avoid this on your credit report, get in touch with:

The debt collector
The business that opened the fraudulent account
The credit reporting companies

After each credit reporting company accepts your Identity Theft Report, it must tell the debt collector that the debt might have been caused by identity theft. Then, the debt collector can't sell or transfer the debt or report it to a credit reporting company.

IMAGE SOURCE: GEORGIA'S OWN CREDIT UNION WEB ADDRESS