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Identity Theft Prevention |
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17.10.2007 |
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 Identity theft is when someone takes your personal information to obtain monetary loans, obtain credit or other types of monetary benefits.
How Identity Theft Occurs:
Skilled identity thieves use a variety of methods to gain access to your personal information. For example:
• They rummage through your trash, or the trash of businesses or dumps in a practice known as “dumpster diving.”
• They steal credit and debit card numbers as your card is processed by using a special information storage device in a practice known as “skimming.”
• They steal wallets and purses containing identification and credit and bank cards.
• They steal mail, including bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks, or tax information.
• They scam information from you by posing as a legitimate business person or government official.
The following are examples of personal information you should not give out:
• Date of birth
• Social security number
• Driver’s license number
• Passport number
• Names of companies where you have credit
• Banks where you have your bank accounts
• Mother’s maiden name
• Other personal data
You can take the following steps to help prevent Identity Theft:
1. Do not give any type of personal information to unknown individuals, whether over the phone, in writing or on the Internet.
2. Memorize your secret PIN (Personal Identification Number) numbers. Do not give your secret PIN numbers to anyone, such as those for the bank (savings account or checking account). Do not write these numbers on the card itself. Don’t use your address, birth date or the last 4 digits of your SS# as your PIN.
3. Do not leave outgoing mail in your mailbox for the postman to pick it up. Pick up the mail as soon as possible after the postman leaves it in your mailbox.
4. Be aware when you are expecting checks in the mail (criminals know more or less when government checks arrive). If possible, request direct deposit instead of a check.
5. If several days pass by without receiving any mail, call or go to your corresponding post office and find out why you have not received the mail. Often the criminals will falsify a change-of-address form to have legitimate account information go to another address or will order the mail to be held at the post office.
6. Be aware of identity theft scams such as sweepstakes, raffles or surveys.
7. Limit the identification information and the number of credit and debit cards that you carry to what you’ll actually need.
8. Order your credit report once a year in order to review it.
To thwart a thief who may pick through your trash or recycling bins, tear or shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications or offers, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, and expired charge cards.
By Katherine Fernandez Rundle
Miami-Dade State Attorney
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Última modificación ( 08.11.2007 )
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