NBVPD Tips to Prevent Identity Theft

What to do after Identity Theft (or before ID Theft if you want to be proactive!)                                            

• If you are a victim, contact your local Police department. If you are a NBV resident, contact the North Bay Village Police Department for a Police report.

• If you are a victim, go on-line to: IC3.Gov to report your crime along with making a North Bay Village Police Report.  Gov also has some very good  information on preventing Identity Theft.

• Call every one of your:

Credit card issuers,

Banks,

Lenders (car, home, equity line)

Employers

Etc

And advise them that you may be the victim of ID Theft.

Whether or not you are an actual victim or just want to be proactive:

• Contact each of the three Credit Bureaus:  Experian, Equifax, and Transunion.  Ask each one for a security Freeze on your account.  A security freeze will prevent casual inquiries into your personal information and probably cut down on your junk mail.  Cost is about $10.00.

•  By law, each of the 3 Credit Bureaus are required, if you ask, to send you 1 free credit report per year.  If you stagger them every 4 months, you can get 3 reports per year to verify that there are no loans or credit cards in your name that are not yours.  The phone # for this is 877 322-8228

• Change all of your passwords/PINS.  Seriously consider a minimum of 8 characters and avoid pet names, relative names, favorite shows, movies, or other words commonly accessible to Internet Trolls.

• Severely curtail your internet activities. If you often use social media, you probably give out more personal information than you realize.

• Turn your WIFI, internet, and computers OFF when not in use. Consider having a separate system for your business/professional use and recreational use.

• Get a locking mailbox or a PO Box AT A POST OFFICE. A very large percentage of fraud can be traced back to stolen mail from your home, unsecured mail box.

• NEVER use a Mailbox to deposit mail after 3pm Monday through Saturday. (Mail is often stolen from these metal boxes at night and Sundays.).

• The IAFCI (International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators) offer a free podcast at protectorspodcast.com.  They cover many topics and case studies concerning all kinds of fraud.