Your Identity Belongs to You. Protect It!

A 2014 survey shows that identity theft is on the rise

The smartest way to protect yourself from identity theft is to prevent it from happening to you. However, if your identity is stolen, you’ll be able to lessen problems by acting quickly.

 

• Call your credit card companies immediately. Explain what happened, and ask where to send a copy of the police report.
• Call and report to the police. Make several copies of police report.
• Complete a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Theft Affidavit and FTC report (call 1-887-ID-THEFT to request the forms).
• Call your bank. They can place an alert on your Driver’s License number and Social Security Number, and freeze your account.
• Call fraud units of credit report agencies: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion.Fortunately, identity theft protection is available as an endorsement on most homeowners’ policies at a small cost. For example, Safeco offers Identity Theft Protection for $12 a year to homeowner policy holders. The coverage reimburses certain expenses associated with identity recovery. Customers can also get guidance on how to protect themselves from ID theft before it happens and may receive assistance with identity restoration.

Photo by Don Hankins