Tips to Avoid Identity Theft

• Don't give out any personal financial information on the phone unless you initiated the call and you know whom you are speaking to.
• Report lost or stolen checks or credit cards immediately! Keep photocopies of both sides of all credit cards in a safe place at home so if they are stolen you know where to call.
• Review new deliveries of credit cards and checks immediately to make sure none were stolen in transit.
• Notify your financial institution and be very suspicious of any phone inquiries, such as those asking for account information to "verify a statement" or "award a prize."
• Shred any financial statements before disposing of them.
• Put outgoing mail in a secure, official postal service collection box.
• Store new and cancelled checks in a safe place.
• Never give out your ATM Personal Identification Number (PIN) to anyone!
• Study your bills carefully and question any suspicious charges immediately. If a regular bill fails to reach you, call the company right away to find out why.

Doing these things will greatly reduce your risk for Identity Theft. However, if you or someone you are close to think you may be a victim, contact the police right away to file a report. Make sure you get the police report number and information on how to reach the investigator in order to give these to any companies you contact to clear your credit after the crime.

Inform the credit union if your wallet or purse was stolen. Cancel any checking and savings accounts and open new ones. Get a new ATM or Debit card and PIN number and cancel any outstanding checks. Next you should contact the credit bureaus and have them flag your account with a "Fraud Alert". Keep copies of all documents relating to your theft and be sure to document your actions, such as time spent straightening out the situation. You may be awarded some restitution for this later on. And last, contact the government authorities, including the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Hotline. For more details, check out the FTC's web site.

Have you heard of phishing? It's a type of fraudulent e-mail scheme, and it's happening all the time. An e-mail is sent out that is designed to trick consumers into surrendering personal information. They may appear to come from government agencies such as the IRS, an online shopping venue such as E-Bay, or even a credit card company.

Recipients are directed to web sites where they are asked to verify personal information such as their name, bank account and credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other information. A sense of urgency is created by telling the consumer that, with little or no notice, their account will be shut down unless they confirm their personal and/or billing information right away. In addition, great care is taken to copy the original web site to make the scheme appear as authentic as possible. Web addresses (URLs) are masked to make them look real. If you receive an e-mail of this nature, DO NOT respond to it, click on the link, or provide any information. Delete it. In addition, you may want to:

• Contact the company directly using a phone number or web site address you know is genuine and tell them about the scheme.
• Review your credit card and account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there have been any unauthorized charges.
• Report suspicious activity to the FTC .