Protect Your Identity
How can consumers protect themselves from identity theft?
There are a few easy steps that consumers can take to protect themselves from
identity theft:
Federal law entitles consumers to receive a free credit report if they are victims of
fraud, if they were denied credit, insurance, housing, or employment or have had
other “adverse action” taken against them within the last 60 days due to
information contained in their credit reports. Consumers are also entitled to free
credit reports if they are unemployed or receiving public welfare assistance.
What can consumers do when they suspect that someone has stolen their identity?
Web sites for consumers concerned about identity theft:
Department of Justice (DOJ)
• Identity Theft and Fraud
www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
• Identity Theft: A Quiz for Consumers
www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idquiz.pdf
• Office for Victims of Crime – Help for Victims of Identity Theft
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/help/it.htm
• U.S. Announces What Is Believed the Largest Identity Theft Case in American
History
www.cybercrime.gov/cummingsIndict.htm
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Congressional Statement for the Record on Preserving the Integrity of Social
Security Numbers and Preventing Their Misuse by Terrorists and Identity Thieves
www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/ashley091902.htm
• Congressional Statement for the Record on Technology, Terrorism and
Government Information
www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/idtheft.htm
Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC)
• Consumer News – When a Criminal’s Cover Is Your Identity www.fdic.
gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnsum00/idthft. html
Federal Reserve Board (FRB)
• Identity Theft: Protect Yourself www.federalreserve.
gov/boarddocs/press/general/2001/200 10514/
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• U.S. Government Central Web Site for Identity Theft
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
• ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm
• ID Theft Complaint Form http://rn.ftc.gov/dod/widtpubl$.startup?
Z_ORG_CODE=PU 03
• Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act
www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/itada/itadact.htm
• Identity Theft: Cases and Scams
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/affidavit.htm
• Identity Theft Victim Complaint Data: Figures and Trends on Identity Theft in
Oklahoma from January 1 to December 31, 2001. www.consumer.
gov/idtheft/statemap/oklahoma.pdf
General Accounting Office (GAO)
• Identity Theft: Available Data Indicate Growth in Prevalence and Cost
http://feinstein.senate.gov/Releases02/idtheft.pdf
Non-governmental Consumer Protection Organizations
• Identity Theft Resource Center
www.idtheftcenter.org
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Identity Theft Resources
www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm#resources
Social Security Administration (SSA)
• Identity Theft
www.ssa.gov/pubs/idtheft.htm
• When Someone Misuses Your Number
www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
• Identity Theft: Stealing Your Name and Your Money
www.usps.com/postalinspectors/Idtheft2.htm
U.S. Senate
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship –“Bond Urges $17
Million Funding to Help Federal, Local Authorities Fight Electronic Crime, Identity
Theft”
http://sbc.senate.gov/republican/107press/june0302.html
Kevin D. Motes, Reference Librarian
Oklahoma Department of Libraries US Government Information Division
(405) 522 - 3335; (800) 522 - 8116
kmotes@oltn.odl.state.ok.us
27 December 2002
There are a few easy steps that consumers can take to protect themselves from
identity theft:
- Protect your social security number. Don’t give it out too freely, and don’t
carry your social security card on your person. If thieves steal your purse or
wallet, you don’t want them to also steal your identity. - Protect your garbage. Shred all documents containing personal
information before throwing them in the garbage. This is especially
important for financial documents, pre-approved credit card offers, or any
documents that contain your social security number. Believe it or not,
identity thieves rummage through trash looking for personal information—
and you are at risk whether or not you are wealthy and famous. Don’t make
it easy for thieves to assume your identity with original documents. - Protect your mail. When you are away from home, have the post office hold
your mail. You don’t want to leave identity thieves a buffet right there in your
mailbox. If you are expecting a credit card, loan information, or confidential
financial information through the mail, watch the calendar. If your
correspondence doesn’t arrive within the expected period of time, contact
the sender to confirm if and when it was sent. - Protect your credit. Consumer advocates and financial experts
recommend that consumers obtain copies of their credit reports from each
of three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, at least once a
year. Check these reports for irregularities, unexplained problems, and
credit accounts that you did not open.
Federal law entitles consumers to receive a free credit report if they are victims of
fraud, if they were denied credit, insurance, housing, or employment or have had
other “adverse action” taken against them within the last 60 days due to
information contained in their credit reports. Consumers are also entitled to free
credit reports if they are unemployed or receiving public welfare assistance.
What can consumers do when they suspect that someone has stolen their identity?
- Ask that a “fraud alert” be placed in your file that asks lenders to contact you
before granting credit in your name. - If possible, place a password on credit and banking accounts.
- File a report with your local police department.
- Contact the creditors where fraudulent accounts were opened in your
name, or where you have found discrepancies, and inform them of your
situation. - File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at: (877) 428-
4338 -or https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/widtpubl$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU03 - If you believe that you are a victim of Identity Theft that involves tampering
with, redirecting, or stealing your mail, notify the Postal Service.
Web sites for consumers concerned about identity theft:
Department of Justice (DOJ)
• Identity Theft and Fraud
www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
• Identity Theft: A Quiz for Consumers
www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idquiz.pdf
• Office for Victims of Crime – Help for Victims of Identity Theft
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/help/it.htm
• U.S. Announces What Is Believed the Largest Identity Theft Case in American
History
www.cybercrime.gov/cummingsIndict.htm
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Congressional Statement for the Record on Preserving the Integrity of Social
Security Numbers and Preventing Their Misuse by Terrorists and Identity Thieves
www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/ashley091902.htm
• Congressional Statement for the Record on Technology, Terrorism and
Government Information
www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/idtheft.htm
Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC)
• Consumer News – When a Criminal’s Cover Is Your Identity www.fdic.
gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnsum00/idthft. html
Federal Reserve Board (FRB)
• Identity Theft: Protect Yourself www.federalreserve.
gov/boarddocs/press/general/2001/200 10514/
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• U.S. Government Central Web Site for Identity Theft
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
• ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm
• ID Theft Complaint Form http://rn.ftc.gov/dod/widtpubl$.startup?
Z_ORG_CODE=PU 03
• Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act
www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/itada/itadact.htm
• Identity Theft: Cases and Scams
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/affidavit.htm
• Identity Theft Victim Complaint Data: Figures and Trends on Identity Theft in
Oklahoma from January 1 to December 31, 2001. www.consumer.
gov/idtheft/statemap/oklahoma.pdf
General Accounting Office (GAO)
• Identity Theft: Available Data Indicate Growth in Prevalence and Cost
http://feinstein.senate.gov/Releases02/idtheft.pdf
Non-governmental Consumer Protection Organizations
• Identity Theft Resource Center
www.idtheftcenter.org
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Identity Theft Resources
www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm#resources
Social Security Administration (SSA)
• Identity Theft
www.ssa.gov/pubs/idtheft.htm
• When Someone Misuses Your Number
www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
• Identity Theft: Stealing Your Name and Your Money
www.usps.com/postalinspectors/Idtheft2.htm
U.S. Senate
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship –“Bond Urges $17
Million Funding to Help Federal, Local Authorities Fight Electronic Crime, Identity
Theft”
http://sbc.senate.gov/republican/107press/june0302.html
Kevin D. Motes, Reference Librarian
Oklahoma Department of Libraries US Government Information Division
(405) 522 - 3335; (800) 522 - 8116
kmotes@oltn.odl.state.ok.us
27 December 2002
Where is my Complaint?
What is Identity Theft?
The Federal Trade Comminssion
enters Internet, telemarketing,
identity theft and other
fraud-related complaints into
Consumer Sentinel®, a secure,
online database available to
hundreds of civil and criminal law
enforcement agencies worldwide.
enters Internet, telemarketing,
identity theft and other
fraud-related complaints into
Consumer Sentinel®, a secure,
online database available to
hundreds of civil and criminal law
enforcement agencies worldwide.
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ID Theft occurs when someone
uses the personal information of
another (i.e., name, date of birth,
Soc. Sec. #, credit card #'s, bank
account #'s, etc.), fraudulently and
without permission. Criminals
usually do this to obtain money or
goods and services, but ID Theft is
also perpetrated to obtain false
drivers’ licenses, birth certificates,
social security numbers, visas and
other official government papers.
uses the personal information of
another (i.e., name, date of birth,
Soc. Sec. #, credit card #'s, bank
account #'s, etc.), fraudulently and
without permission. Criminals
usually do this to obtain money or
goods and services, but ID Theft is
also perpetrated to obtain false
drivers’ licenses, birth certificates,
social security numbers, visas and
other official government papers.
South Beach Credit "Securing Your Financial Future"
Equifax
(800) 685-1111
www.equifax.com
(800) 685-1111
www.equifax.com
Experian
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion
(800) 888-4213
www.transunion.com
(800) 888-4213
www.transunion.com
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