Identity Theft Protection Tips

- Immediately report lost or stolen credit cards. Also, if you discover that your identity has been stolen, notify at least one of the three credit monitoring agencies.  

- Close the affected accounts and report the theft to your local police. You should also notify the Federal Trade Commission. In many states, you can now freeze access to your credit records if you suspect ID theft (check your state laws).

- Do not ever give out personal information via email or phone to a stranger unless you initiated the conversation.

- Stick to one credit card for purchases made online. It is easier  for organization and quick detection if a purchase was not made by you. It is also wise to use a card with a low credit limit, so a thief is limited somewhat.

- Do not use a debit card as a credit card. Thieves can drain your entire bank account balance and it is more difficult to get that money returned to you.

- Do not make purchases via websites that are not secure. Stick to companies that you know if you are not sure.

- Do not use the same password for online banking, email accounts, etc.. Also, do not use obvious names or social security digits.

- Do not use IM (instant messenger) for conveying financial information. Usually, they are not encrypted and are very easy for a third party to view (without you knowing).

- Shred papers with bank account or social security #'s on them. ID theft occurs by people rummaging through trash just as much as it does online.

- Moniter your credit reports. You can find out more about accessing your credit reports in this article.