Identity Theft – It’s No Joke
When the first of April comes, you may be on guard in order to protect yourself from an April Fool’s Day prank. But every day of the year, you should be wary of identity thieves.
Identity theft is no joking matter. Identity thieves victimize millions of people each year.
Identity thieves have some sly tricks to obtain your personal information. They do it by: – Stealing wallets, purses and your mail. – Using the telephone or e-mail to pose as someone who legitimately needs information about you, such as an employer or landlord. – Stealing personal information you provide to an unsecured website or from records kept about you at work or at home. – Rummaging through your trash, a business’ trash or a public dump for personal data.
Don’t be fooled by identity thieves-take the proper precautions.
Be sure to safeguard your personal information, such as your Social Security number and mother’s maiden name. If an identity thief scores this information, it could result in more than a monetary loss for you, the victim-it also could hurt your credit score and record.
You can help protect yourself by not carrying your Social Security card with you and not providing your personal information to unknown sources over the Internet or by phone.
Be sure to shred any documents, bills or paperwork before you throw them away.
Most importantly, never reply to an e-mail claiming to be from Social Security that asks you for your Social Security number or other personal information.
If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from Social Security and you have doubts about the caller’s validity, you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1- 800-325-0778).
If you think you’ve been the victim of identity theft, you should contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-438-4338 (TTY 1-866-653- 4261) or go to www.idtheft.gov and click on the link called “Report Identity Theft.”
Learn more about identity theft at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10064. html.
Please don’t let an identity thief make an April Fool out of you.
