Identity Theft FAQs
By DON CIO Privacy Team - Published, October 26, 2012
Identity theft affected 8.4 million adult Americans in 2007. Within the Department of the Navy, two incidents related to the loss of government controlled personally identifiable information (PII) that resulted in identity theft have been confirmed since June 2006.
What actions should I take if I receive a letter that indicates my personal information may have been compromised due to a PII breach?
Immediate actions should include:
- If the stolen information includes your financial accounts, close compromised credit
card accounts immediately.
- Consult with your financial institution about whether to close bank or brokerage accounts immediately or first change your passwords and have the institution monitor for possible fraud.
- Call the police if your information has been compromised.
- Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if your identity has been stolen.
- Place passwords on any new accounts that you open and change existing passwords on old accounts.
- Avoid using your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number (SSN) or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
If the stolen information includes your SSN, call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies listed below and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. This alert can help stop someone from opening new credit accounts in your name.
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
- Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790