Identity Theft

The Issue

With the growth of technology, protecting your personal information has never been more important.

Fraudsters use a variety of techniques to acquire a victim’s card number. Some of  the ways include using high-tech devices known as skimmers to swipe the card so as to collect the pertinent information from the magnetic strip or by using low-tech methods such as copying or obtaining discarded receipts. To protect yourself, consider a few common sense tips:

  • Shred all mail that has your personal information, especially credit card offers.
  • Never store debit/credit card PINs with the card. Commit them to memory.
  • Shred all receipts.
  • Check your bank and credit card statements regularly for any unauthorized purchases.
  • Never share your online account passwords.
  • Change your passwords often and use complex passwords, with a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols.

Resources

If you have been a victim of Identity Theft, take the following steps immediately:

  1. Call the Fraud Departments of the three major credit bureaus.
    Experian (TRW): 1-888-397-3742
    TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
    Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
  2. Contact the card issuer.
    -Report the fraud immediately by phone and in writing.
    -Close all of the affected accounts.
    -Complete an affidavit indicating fraud has occurred.
    -Keep detailed logs of all contacts you have made.
  3. Notify your local police department and obtain copies of all police reports.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Read the letter closely and follow the recommendations of the company that notified you.
  2. Freeze your credit with all three credit bureaus for free (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
  3. Closely analyze your free credit report annually for unfamiliar accounts.
  4. Change your passwords with the company that made the notification.  
  5. Update all other passwords to a complex password that is unique for each online account.  
  6. Use multi-factor authentication or pass keys for any online account that supports it.  
  1.  Report the fraud to the company where your identity was used.
  2.  Report the fraud to local law enforcement.
  3. Report the fraud to the Social Security Administration at www.ssa.gov.
  4.  Go to www.identitytheft.gov and follow the FTC's recommendations.