Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Identity theft happens when an imposter uses your personal information to fraudulently open credit accounts, rent property, establish utility services, and more.  These simple steps can help you protect yourself, as well as reduce the number of unwanted solicitations for credit cards and other solicitations:

• Order your free credit report each year and check for inaccuracies and fraudulent activity.  Call 1-877-322-8228 or visit www.annualcreditreport.com.  I used the free Web site and found it very quick and easy to get my credit report from Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.  Of the three, I liked TransUnion the best, but you can get reports from all three companies free at one time.
• Register your telephone number with the National Do-Not-Call Registry: 1-888-382-1222.  I did this years ago, and it works!
• Remove your name, address and telephone number from mailing and telephone lists through the Direct Marketing Association at http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html.  I used this site for both the mail and telephone lists.  For each list, you fill in some basic information, print a one-page form, and mail it to the address printed at the top.  It's that easy, and only costs a postage stamp!
• Your Social Security number is the key to your credit report and the prime target of criminals.  Never use it on your checks.  In Virginia, new or renewed driver’s licenses used to have your Social Security number as the license number, but no more, because of concerns over identity theft.
• Reduce the chance of mail fraud.  Get your financial statements electronically.  This will prevent thieves from stealing your financial statements from your mail box, and it cuts down on clutter from all those monthly statements!
• Limit pre-approved credit offers by prohibiting use of information contained in the credit files at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  Call 1-888-567-8688 to opt out of solicitations.  When I looked at my free credit reports, I saw a lot of requests for information from my credit files by credit card companies that look the same as the ones sending me solicitations for new credit cards.  By calling this number, I expect to receive fewer unwanted letters telling me that I have been pre-approved for yet another credit card.

Identity theft is a growing problem.  According to an FTC report, 43 percent of 380,103 complaints for 2002 involved the hijacking of someone's identity information.  The average financial loss to a victim of identity fraud is estimated at $36,000.  The average victim will spend $1,374 and 175 hours just to restore their reputation-notifying credit bureaus, canceling credit cards, and negotiating with creditors.  In 2003, U.S. officials are now describing identity theft as "the fastest growing crime in the nation," having identified it as "the leading cause of consumer fraud."

Data collected from law enforcement sources indicate that the four most common types of identity theft are:

• Credit card fraud.  Victims report that either a credit card account is opened in their name or an existing account is being used without authorization.
• Bank fraud.  A thief either opens an unauthorized checking or savings account in another person's name or writes checks on someone else's account, sometimes after stealing checks.
• Fraudulent loans.  A thief uses the victim's identity to obtain a loan for a car or other item.
• Communications services.  A thief uses an unsuspecting victim's name to open service with a utility, such as a phone company.

• Steal wallets and purses.  (identification, credit, and bank cards)
• Steal your mail.  (bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, telephone cards, tax information)
• Complete a "change of address form." (divert your mail to another location)
• Rummage through your trash.  (looking for personal data; also known as "dumpster diving")
• Fraudulently obtain your credit report.  (pose as a landlord, employer, or someone else)
• Acquire business or personnel records at work.
• Obtain personal information in your home.
• Access personal information you share on the Internet.
• Purchase personal information from "inside" sources.  (paying a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services, or credit)

• Call your credit card issuer pretending to be you, asking to change the mailing address on your credit card account.  The imposter then runs up charges on your account.  Because your bills are being sent to the new address, it may take some time before you realize there's a problem.
• Open a new credit card account using your name, date of birth, and SSN.  When they use the credit card and don't pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report.
• Pose as representatives of banks, Internet service providers, and government agencies, trying to get your SSN, mother's maiden name, account numbers, and other identifying information.
• Establish a phone or wireless service in your name.
• Open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.
• File for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they've incurred under your name, or to avoid eviction.
• Counterfeit checks or debit cards, and drain your bank account.
• Buy cars by taking out auto loans in your name.

1. Guard your Social Security Number.  Your SSN is the key to your credit reports and banking accounts and is the prime target of criminals.  Never carry documents with your SSN unless you need them.
2. Photocopy both sides of your license and credit cards so you have all the account numbers, expiration dates, and phone numbers if your wallet or purse is stolen.  Or you can make a list of this information and keep it in a safe place.
3. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox.  Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.
4. If your mail suddenly stops coming, call the post office immediately.  Identity thieves have been known to divert a victim's mail by filing a change of address form.
5. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a vacation hold, or have a trusted friend or neighbor pick up your mail on a daily basis.
6. Thwart the "dumpster divers" by tearing or shredding the following, before discarding: checks and bank statement, charge receipts, pre-approved credit offers, insurance forms, physician statement, expired charge cards, and so on.  Crosscut shredders cost more than regular shredders but are superior.
7. To reduce the number of pre-approved credit offers, call 1-888-567-8688 to be removed from the major credit bureau lists.
8. Secure personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having service work done in your home.
9. Keep your financial records out of sight.  Burglars are just as interested in credit cards, bank accounts, and investment statements as they are in your jewelry and other valuables.
10. Do not print your SSN, driver's license number, phone number, date of birth, or credit card account number on your sales receipts or checks.  Also, do not give this information to a merchant who wants to write it on your check at the time of purchase.
11. When opening new accounts, you may find that many businesses still have a line on their applications for your mother's maiden name.  Use a password instead. Avoid using easily available information as passwords, such as your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN, your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
12. Don't give out personal information over the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know who you are dealing with.  Before you share any personal information, confirm that you are dealing with a legitimate organization.
13. If you have credit cards you do not use, store them in a safe place.  Cancel the accounts if you will not use them again, and cut up or shred old credit cards before discarding.
14. Consider subscribing to a credit report monitoring service that will notify you whenever someone applies for credit in your name.  You can find examples of credit monitoring and reporting services by searching the Internet, or consider Online Banking Report's two choices for "Best of the Web 2002"--TrueCredit and Privista.