To Protect Against Identity Theft

[the other Jake]

I decided to post this after reading this thread...

There are several things you can do to protect yourself from identity theft. Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act financial institutions have the right to share personal information for a profit. Ever wonder why you get more advertisements by mail than your neighbor? Or perhaps someone you know gets more pre-approved credit cards applications than you. Part of the reason is banks, credit unions, and financial institutions sell your information to marketing groups. These groups know how much money consumers spend on clothes, food, gas, and travel, for any given year. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act makes it possible via the internet to determine how much money is in anyones bank account, how much a mortgage is, and any other personal information.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act also gives individuals the right to opt out of having their information sold. The problem is that many individuals are not aware that they have this option or even that their information is being sold. To prevent identity theft or these types of scams and protect confidentiality, every individual should go to their financial institutions and opt out outing having their information shared.

You should also guard your mail from theft. If you are out of town call 1-800-275-8777 to have the US Postal Service hold your personal mail. In addition, opt out of pre-approved credit cards that fraudsters can easily activate and use without your knowledge. Consumers can call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-868 to have your name removed from direct maketing lists.

You should also periodically check your credit history to be sure that it is correct. Every individual is entitled to a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus every year. They are:

Experian, http://www.experian.com
Equifax, http://www.equifax.com
TransUnion, http://www.tuc.com

Many companies offer "credit monitoring services" for which they charge a fee. You are only entitled to a free credit report- so be sure that is what you are getting.



Other things you can do to prevent identity theft:

1. Guard Social Security cards and numbers

2. Safeguard all personal information

3. Guard trash from theft- shred receipts, insurance information, doctor's bills, checks and bank statements.

4. Protect your wallet and never leave it in a place where it can be stolen

5. Protect passwords

6. Protect your home and personal computer

7. Never give social security, credit card, or other information by phone unless YOU intiated the call.

 

[the other Jake]

If you are a victim of Identity theft you should do the following:

Immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov , or by telephone at 1-877-ID THEFT (877-438-433. The FTC has the responsibility to work with those people who believe they have been victims of identity theft. The FTC will not only provide you with valuable materials, but help contact enforcement and credit reporting agencies to minimize damages. A small amount of time, such as a couple days, can make a big difference when identity theft has taken place.

 

[Ann]

thanks for the info. I saved it "just in case".

 

[the other Jake]

Well some of it requires your action now- At least call your bank/credit card company and opt out of them sharing your info

That will prevent this new credit card scam in the link and may even cut down on your "junk mail".

 

[the other Jake]

Does anyone else have any other tips?

 

[strmrdr]

yea ftc and credit reporting angencies suck.
Someone has used my SS number under a bunch of different names going back 3 years and 2 out of 3 just happily kept adding it on my report.
The other refused to allow it to be added but didnt notify me.

One of them I havent even been able to get a copy of my report from dispite sending them the documents they asked for because my name isnt on the report except as an alias along with 3 or 4 others.

 

[strmrdr]

still havent figured out how they got it either im pretty protective of who I give it too but these days anyone can pretty much get anyones SS number any number of ways.
Not to mention that the SS number is illegal being used as a credit ID #, the law against it is still on the books but its totaly ignored because the industry paid off congress.

 

[strmrdr]

Bottom line is the system is broke and anyone at any time can get caught in it and if you do your sol in dealing with it.
The agency that is giving me the most problems just got fined by the ftc for not helping credit fraud victims and not having a number available to contact a person as required by the law for 12 million dollars and they appealed it and keep on doing the same thing.

sorry im a little frustrated and a bit bitter about this subject.
I had to put it on the back burner and deal with it once my arm is fixed because it was too much stress dealing with both.

 

[strmrdr]

btw the ftc does nothing but send you some forms telling you to contact the bureaus.
And explaining the law which they dont follow anyway.