Over the past 18 months we have heard news stories about major breaches affecting millions of people, the most recent being the U.S. Office of Personnel Management with 21.5 million individuals affected. One of the primary concerns with these breaches is identity theft. Identity theft is when a thief obtains, by any means, your identifying information—primarily your name, your social security number and your date of birth—and uses that information to obtain loans, credit cards, etc.
Warning Signs Your Identity May Have Been Stolen
• Accounts you didn’t open and debts on your accounts that you can’t explain.
• Inaccurate information on your credit reports, including accounts and personal information, such as your social security number, address, name or initials, or employer.
• Failing to receive bills or other mail (this could indicate that an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address—follow up with creditors if your bills don’t arrive on time).
• Receiving credit cards that you didn’t apply for.
• Being denied credit or being offered less favorable credit terms, like a high-interest rate, for no apparent reason.
• Getting calls or letters from debt collec¬tors or businesses about merchandise or services you didn’t buy.
• Finding out when you apply for a mortgage or car loan that problems with your credit history are holding up the loan.
• Getting something in the mail about an apartment you never rented, a house you never bought or a job you never held.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide credit reporting companies—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion—to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The three nationwide credit reporting companies have set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual credit report.
To order, visit annualcreditreport.com, call 1.877.322.8228 or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form on the website and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
For more information on avoiding identity theft and what to do if you are a victim of identity theft, please view the links below:
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lp_8cvNm_vE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vfcCmh7Qk&feature=player_detailpage
The “Don’t Be That Guy” videos highlight potential problem areas many Internet and mobile users face while providing solutions on how to protect private information.
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