Steps to Prevent Identify
Theft | Procedures to Follow Upon the Initial
Loss of Personal Documents | Procedures for Identity-Theft
Victims |
Helpful Identity Theft Links
Identity theft is an increasingly prevalent crime
that can wreak havoc on the financial affairs of its victims.
And it strikes with alarming frequency in Arizona. According to
the Federal Trade Commission, Arizona has the highest rate of
identity theft in the nation (147.8 victims per 100,000 population).
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally
identifying information, like your name, Social Security number,
or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud
or other crimes. Common crimes associated with identity theft
include using another person’s information to gain access
to financial accounts without the owner’s authorization,
or to obtain fraudulent credit cards, loans, financial accounts,
government documents, housing, and employment.
As the prevalence of identity theft increases, it
is important for the government to implement new safeguards for
the use of personally identifying information. In 2003, I supported
passage of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. That
bill – which is now law – requires merchants to delete
all but the last five digits of a credit card number on store
receipts printed electronically at the point-of-sale, creates
a national system of fraud detection, and allows consumers to
receive one free credit report per year from each of the nationwide
credit reporting agencies.
I also cosponsored the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement
Act – which became law in 2004 – to provide law-enforcement
officers with additional ways to prevent identity theft when possible,
and to vigorously prosecute the crime when deterrence fails. That
bill:
- toughens mandatory penalties for identity theft
crimes committed in connection with serious federal offenses,
including terrorism;
- requires judges to impose the penalty enhancements
on top of the underlying sentence;
- adds Social Security fraud and theft embezzlement
by a bank officer to the list of crimes eligible for enhanced
penalties; and
- criminalizes possession of stolen or fraudulent
identification with intent to commit an unlawful act.
Most recently, I have cosponsored the Personal
Data Protection Act. Today, information is regularly stored electronically
by businesses and government agencies. This reliance on electronic
data has made it easier for criminals to steal the identity of
others on a grander scale, making data breaches a particular threat.
The Personal Data Protection Act would help secure personally
identifying information by requiring data brokers to maintain
a personal data privacy and security program. The bill would also
establish standards for data breach notification, thereby requiring
that businesses and government agencies inform any affected individual
of a breach if there is reason to believe that his or her personal
information has been compromised.
No law is foolproof, so as identity thieves develop
other ways to perpetrate their crimes, Congress will continue
to consider new legislation to combat such offenses.
1. Never provide telephone callers with your personal
information, including your Social Security number, date of birth,
mother’s maiden name, credit-card number, or bank PIN code,
unless you initiate the phone call or know the person or organization
you are dealing with.
2. Only give your Social Security number when absolutely
necessary. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible.
3. Sign all new credit cards upon receipt.
4. Memorize your Social Security number and all
your passwords. Do not carry a written record of them in your
wallet or purse.
5. Keep items with personal information in a safe
place; tear them up when you don’t need them anymore. Make
sure charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance
forms, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards, credit
offers, and bills you receive in the mail are disposed of appropriately.
Consider purchasing and using a shredder, if you do not already
have one.
6. Empty your wallet of extra credit cards or IDs.
Cancel the cards that you don’t use.
7. Guard your ATM personal identification number
and ATM receipts. Never leave ATM receipts at bank machines, bank
counters, or trash receptacles. Retain them for your records or
destroy them.
8. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection
boxes. Do not leave it in your mail box for pick-up.
9. Collect your mail nightly. Don’t leave
it in your mailbox overnight or on weekends.
10. If regular bills fail to reach you, call the
company and find out why. Someone may have filed a false change-of-address
notice to divert your mail to his or her address.
11. If your bills include any suspicious charges,
don’t ignore them. Investigate immediately.
12. Order your credit report to check for fraud
or other discrepancies. As required by the Fair Credit Reporting
Act, the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion
have established a service that allows you to order a credit report
from each company once a year for free. You can request your credit
reports by (1) going to http://www.annualcreditreport.com/,
(2) calling toll free 877-322-8228, or (3) sending a letter to
Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta,
GA 30348-5281. You may order credit reports from any or all of
the credit bureaus. For more information on ordering credit reports,
see the Federal Trade Commission’s web page at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.htm.
13. Make it more difficult for identity thieves
to gain access to your personal information. Consider doing the
following:
- Remove your name from the marketing lists of
the three credit reporting bureaus – Equifax, Experian,
and TransUnion. Call 888-567-8688 or go online to www.optoutprescreen.com.
This will limit the number of pre-approved offers of credit
that you receive. Such offers, when tossed into the garbage,
are a potential resource for identity thieves who use them to
order credit cards in your name.
- Sign up for the Federal Trade Commission's National
Do Not Call Registry (www.donotcall.gov
or 888-382-1222). Your name will be deleted from list used by
nationwide marketers. You may also wish to register for your
state's "do not call" list, if it has one.
- Have your name and address removed from the phone
book and reverse directories.
- Opt-out of the sale or sharing of your financial
information when given the opportunity by your bank, credit-card
companies, insurance companies, and investment firms.
14. Place a security freeze on your consumer credit
files. Arizona residents now have the option of placing security
freezes on their consumer credit files maintained by the three
major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
Placing a security freeze on your consumer credit
files will prohibit the three major credit reporting agencies
from releasing any information in your credit reports without
your express authorization, except to those with whom you have
an existing account or a collection agency acting on behalf of
an existing account.
Security freezes are free for victims of identity
theft, and cost $10 for non-victims. Information about how to
place a security freeze on your consumer credit is available from
each credit bureau at:
Experian
Equifax
TransUnion
1. Contact the Social Security Administration’s
Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271 if you lose your Social Security
card. The hotline is manned daily between the hours of 10 a.m.
and 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
2. Report all lost or stolen credit cards immediately.
Contact all creditors by phone and in writing to inform them of
the theft.
3. Report lost or stolen checks immediately. Alert
your bank to flag your accounts and to contact you to confirm
any unusual activity.
4. Contact the state office of the Department of
Motor Vehicles to request a new driver’s license. Fill out
the DMV’s complaint form to begin the fraud-investigation
process if you believe your license was stolen.
5. Keep a log of all your contacts and make copies
of all documents. You may also wish to contact a privacy or consumer-advocacy
group regarding illegal activity.
1. Take all five of the above steps.
2. Call your nearest U.S. Postal Inspection Service
office and your local police. File a police report. Get a copy
of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may
require proof of the crime.
3. If you have reason to suspect identity theft,
call the fraud units of the three major credit bureaus and ask
them to flag your credit file with a fraud alert for 90 days.
Creditors will then call you before opening new accounts. You
can then extend the fraud alert for up to seven years by writing
the credit bureaus. You will need to include a copy of your identity-theft
police report with your letter.
Equifax
Mail: Fraud Division, Equifax, P.O. Box 740250, Atlanta, GA
30374-0250.
Phone: 800-525-6285, TDD: 800-255-0056
Website
Experian
Mail: National Consumer Assistance, Experian, P.O. Box 1017,
Allen, TX 75013-9556.
Phone: 888-397-3742, TDD: Use relay to main number.
Website
TransUnion
Mail: Fraud Victim Assistance Department, TransUnion, P.O. Box
6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790.
Phone: 800-680-7289, TDD: 877-553-7803
E-mail (fraud victims only): fvad@transunion.com
Website
4. Contact the Federal Trade Commission’s
Identify Theft Hotline to file a complaint. The phone number is
toll-free: 877-438-4338); the mailing address is Identity Theft
Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
N.W., Washington, DC 20580; or visit the FTC
website. Ask the FTC for a copy of its free consumer guide,
“ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name,”
to help you guard against and recover from identity theft.
5. Visit the section of the Arizona
Attorney General’s website dedicated to identity theft.
Specifically, review the Identity
Theft Repair Kit, which provides general information about
identity theft and suggests steps you should take when your identity
has been stolen.
Department
of Education
Department
of Justice and the National
Criminal Justice Reference Service
Federal
Bureau of Investigation and Internet
Crime Complaint Center
Federal
Trade Commission
President’s
Identity Theft Task Force
Privacy
Rights Clearinghouse
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Equifax