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Identity Theft Tips
Identity thieves rob more than 500,000 Americans every year. Credit can be damaged, and fixing it can cost you hundreds of dollars and take hundreds of hours of your time. These steps will help you reduce your risk of identity theft.
- Guard your Social Security number.
- Monitor your credit report for accuracy.
- Shred papers containing personal information.
- Remove your name from marketing lists.
- Add your name to the name-deletion lists of the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service and Telephone Preference Service used by banks and other marketers.
- Do not carry extra credit cards or identity documents except when needed.
- Photocopy contents of your wallet.
- Do not mail bill payments from home.
- Do not print your Social Security number on your check.
- Check your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement annually.
- Examine the charges on your credit card statement before paying them.
- Cancel unused credit card accounts.
- Never give your credit card number or personal information over the phone.
- Subscribe to a credit report monitoring service that will notify you whenever someone applies for credit in your name.
