by Jim McCafferty
You work hard to make a living and support yourself and your family. What happens if you find someone has used your name to get a credit card or open bank accounts?

More than 8.3 million Americans were involved with some type of identity theft in 2005, and the number goes up each year.

Protecting Yourself
You need to be proactive to protect yourself. Here are some things to do:

DON’T give out your Social Security number unless absolutely necessary. Ask why it’s needed and offer other identification.

DESTROY unwanted credit card offers. If you don’t want the three major credit bureaus to sell your name to these companies, you can “opt out” by writing to the bureaus or by calling (888) 5OPTOUT
(567-8688) to remove your name, for two years, from mailing and telemarketing lists.

DON’T put any information besides your name and address on your checks. Carefully watch your checkbook when you’re writing checks and when it’s not in use.

GUARD deposit slips as closely as you do checks because they have your name, address and account number printed on them and can be used to withdraw money from your account. A thief could write a bad check, deposit it into your account and use the “less cash received” line to withdraw money.

SHRED sensitive documents before throwing them into the trash. This may seem extreme, but dumpster diving happens all the time.

DON’T carry your Social Security card, passport or birth certificate in your wallet or purse. Carry only as many credit cards as absolutely necessary. Do photocopy everything you carry in your wallet. In the event your wallet is stolen, you’ll be able to cancel credit cards quickly.

REVIEW your credit report every year. Check for new credit cards issued to someone other than you and inquiries by people you haven’t initiated business with.

NEVER give out personal information on the phone to someone you don’t know and who initiated the call. Scam artists phone unsuspecting victims pretending to be a financial services company and request information, supposedly to “update records” or sell a product. Get the name, phone number and address, and check them out by calling back a number you have on file or one printed on your
statements.

REVIEW your monthly credit card statement for charges that may not be yours. Make sure you get a monthly statement. Someone may have turned in a change-of-address form to spend a few more weeks making purchases on your credit card.

DON’T mail bills or documents that contain personal data like tax forms or checks from your personal mail box. Take them directly to the post office or an official postal service mailbox. Someone can easily take mail out of your mailbox. From there, they can dip checks in special chemicals to remove ink and rewrite them to themselves!

FIND OUT WHY if you are denied credit. It may be identity theft.

REACT QUICKLY if a creditor calls about charges you didn’t make. Investigate immediately.

Shopping Online
The easiest way to pay for the things you purchase online is still the credit card. Some tips:

Use the latest Internet browser to ensure the data with the latest encryption
technology.

Look for digital certificates to authenticate the identities of different websites. Independent services like Veri-Sign carry a VeriSign logo that you can click on.

Read the privacy policy to make sure information you enter is kept confidential and won’t be sold to others. Use one credit card for online purchases. Never give out passwords or user ID information online.

Keep records of your Internet transactions and check your credit card statement to make sure charges are accurate.

Check your e-mail for confirmation or information about your order.

Identity Theft Protection
Check into identity theft protection policies that could cover a portion of lost wages for time spent dealing with the theft or mailing and other costs associated with correcting the problem.

Consider using a service like the AAA Show Your Card & Save ® partner Life-Lock to make it easier to protect your identity.

Contact your club insurance agents at (800) 974-1222 for more advice.