AG offers 15 steps to safeguard your identity

MY TURN

By Terry Goddard
Arizona Attorney General

Your identity can be taken and misused in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes, and there is no foolproof way to absolutely prevent it.

But there are a number of steps we all can take to minimize the risk of identity theft, which continues to top the Federal Trade Commission's national list of consumer complaints. Arizona, which had the most complaints of any state in 2008, ranked second to Florida on the 2009 list.

Here are 15 things consumers can do at no cost to lower the chance of identity theft:

● Carefully review your bank and credit card statements monthly.  Keep track of billing cycles; if a bill doesn't arrive near the usual time each month, an identity thief may have taken it.

● Ask your credit card company to stop sending blank checks with your statements.

● Keep credit card account information and PIN numbers in a safe place and cancel credit cards that you don’t use.

● Never give bank or credit card account information over the phone unless you initiated the call and know the business.

● When ordering by phone or on-line, use a credit card rather that a debit card because there are greater protections with a credit card.

● Always take your credit card receipts.

● Always use a secure mailbox when mailing checks, and try not to leave mail in your mailbox overnight.

● Shred everything with personal identifying information before discarding.

● Delete all personal information from your computer before disposing of it.

● Remove your name from mailing lists generated by telemarketers. Contact the Direct Marketing Association at www.dmaconsumers.org.

● Never carry your Social Security card with you. If you have a Medicaid card, don't carry it either because thieves know it has your Social Security number on it. If your driver's license has your Social Security number, stop by MVD and for a $4 fee they will issue you a new one with a different number. If any other card in your wallet has your Social Security number, stop carrying it or get the issuer to change the
number.

● Do not give your personal information in response to emails pretending to be from bank, credit card company or internet service provider. These emails are from con artists. Legitimate financial institutions will never ask for this information in email.

● Carefully review identity theft protection services before purchasing. They can save you time and give you peace of mind, but you can do for free nearly all of what they provide.

● Order a free copy of your credit report annually and check it carefully. Under federal law, you are eligible to receive a free report from each of the three national credit bureaus -- Experian, TransUnion and Equifax -- once a year. You can obtain it by calling 1-877-322-8228 or by requesting it at  http://www.annualcreditreport.com/.

● Consider placing a freeze on your credit reports. The three credit bureaus provide the credit freeze option, which blocks release of your credit history. Most lenders will not extend credit unless they can review your credit report and score, so consumers should carefully consider whether a freeze is appropriate because it prevents all new credit applications for credit in their name. The credit freeze is best suited for people who are satisfied with the credit already extended to them and are not in the market for a new credit card, mortgage or other financing.

The credit bureaus have always offered freezes at no charge to victims of identity theft. Now, other consumers can pay $30 in fees ($10 to each of the three bureaus) if they wish to freeze their credit history. They must pay another $30 to unfreeze. Each bureau must be contacted individually and has its own procedure for establishing or lifting a freeze. The bureaus may be reached at:

Equifax
www.equifax.com
800.685.1111
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian
www.experian.com
888.397.3742
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
www.transunion.com
800.888.4213
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022

My Office provides an Identity Theft Repair Kit, which can be downloaded from our web site at www.azag.gov, with tips on how to stop identity thieves and advice on what to do if you become a victim.
For more information go to our web site or call our Identity Theft Hotline at 602.542.2154 or 1.800.352.8431.

Though it's impossible to have absolute protection from identity theft, it is possible to greatly reduce the risk of becoming a victim.