If You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

Tips to prevent identity theft:

1. Keep copies of the front and back of your credit cards and driver’s license in a safe place.
2. Don’t carry your social security card with you.
3. Review credit reports at least once a year.
4. Check bank statements thoroughly every month to make sure everything is accounted for.
5. Get a cross cut shredder to dispose of old receipts and financial records.
6. Don’t use your mailbox for outgoing bills. Thieves steal from mailboxes to get your information.
7. Shred requests for credit cards and convenience checks that your credit card companies send you.
8. Never give your personal information out to anyone on the phone or on the Internet unless you have called them first. It is illegal for telemarketers to ask for this information.
9. Beware of phishing, an Internet scam when phony companies impersonate real websites and ask you to update your personal information.
10. Get on a “Do not call” list. 1.888.382.1212 or www.donotcall.gov.
11. Beware of strange ATMs. They may be rigged to skim data off your card’s magnetic strip.

What to do if you lose your purse or wallet:

1. Cancel your credit cards immediately. Have the toll-free phone and credit card account numbers handy so that you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them immediately.
2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your purse or wallet was stolen. This proves to credit providers that you were diligent and is the first step towards an investigation if there is one.
3. Most importantly, call the three national credit reporting agencies listed above, along with the Social Security Administration Fraud Line, to place a fraud alert on your name and social security number. This alert means that any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and has to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By two weeks after the theft, the damage may already be done.

Social Security Administration fraud line 1.800.269.0271 • www.ssa.gov

Judy Heft, Principal, Judy Heft & Associates is a professional and personal
financial organizer with offices in Greenwich and Stamford. She can be contacted via email at judy@judithheft.com or by phone
203-978-1858