Eight Steps you must take to prevent ID Theft Cont'd

ID THEFT

 As promised, here are the rest of the tips on how to protect your self from id theft. Very simple steps that will save you a life time of worries.

5. Review All Your Personal Data Files

Check your credit report periodically for items that you don't recognize -- such as accounts, judgments, liens, collections, bankruptcies, and other possible footprints of identity theft -- and dispute all erroneous and fraudulent information. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, you're entitled to one free copy of your credit report every year from each of the big three credit bureaus. Stagger your requests so that you'll get your file from one of them every four months.

You should order your free reports at www.annualcreditreport.com. You're also entitled to an additional free report from each bureau whenever you place an initial fraud alert on your credit report.

Other data brokers keep files on you. Irregularities could mean someone is using your ID to work, tap your health benefits, rent homes, or write bad checks. You have a right to free copies each year and to dispute errors in them.

6. Stop Unsolicited Credit-Card Offers

One way crooks steal your name is by swiping pre -approved credit offers from your mailbox to open an account. They can then watch your mailbox to lift the new card you didn't know was coming. You can stop credit bureaus from selling your name to lenders by going to www.optoutprescreen.com or calling 888-567-8688. Opting out should stop most offers, and it's free.

Other credit offers might come from affiliates of financial services companies that already have a business relationship with you. You can stop them by paying attention to the annual privacy rights notices you get from banks, brokers, and other financial companies and exercising your right under federal law to prevent them from "sharing" (translation: "selling") your information with affiliates and others. Do the same with retailers and websites.

7. Monitor Accounts Often

It's no longer enough to wait for your monthly credit-card or checking account statement to look for suspicious activity. For added protection, sign up for online access to your accounts and check them regularly, even daily. "Almost a third of victims told us they became aware of an identity theft when they noticed missing money from an account," says Katrina Baum, acting division director and senior statistician at the National Institute of Justice. "What this tells me is that it really behooves consumers to be vigilant about checking their financial statements and paying attention to their account activity."

And don't assume that the paper checks listed are legit. Crooks can tap into your funds using fabricated checks with a fictitious name, address, and bank -- as long as they use your real account number.

Monitor your telephone bills (landline and cellular) to find any unauthorized "cramming" charges for phony services and purchases. As cell phones increasingly become mobile payment devices, fraudulent charges are showing up there, too.

8. Respond Rapidly

If you suspect you've been a victim of identity theft, act quickly. Immediately contact your creditors and financial institutions to report unauthorized charges or debits, and close any compromised accounts. Place fraud alerts and security freezes, and get your credit reports from all three credit bureaus so you can review them for irregularities. File a report with your local police and the FTC, and step up your own account monitoring. Chances are good that these actions will resolve the problem in relatively short order and at little or no cost.

Don't let the incident scare you into signing up for identity-theft protection or credit-monitoring services -- unless they're free, which is often the case for a limited time after corporate or government data breaches. Make sure a breach notice is not an identity-theft trick itself, and remember to cancel the subscription when the free period runs out.

Please let me know what you do to protect your id.

Mary