Help!!!! Please send me your Social Security number,birth date, driver’s license number, credit card information, and your bank account numbers. ASAP
Who would respond to that???
Ever get a phone call, an E-Mail, or a letter asking you to provide personal or private information and indicating they need this because you are delinquent in back taxes pretending to be an IRS agent, unpaid bills, or even that you won the Irish Sweepstakes?
You might have received a recent mailing indicating Identity Theft is the nation’s top crime against consumers. It happens every day and is on the increase at alarming rates. It happened to me just recently In front of our house. I heard a noise and went out the front door to find a guy going though our garbage can and asked him what he was doing. No problem, he said and that he was just collecting bottles, cans and newspapers. He probably was, but also could have been looking for personal information from discarded bank statements, correspondence, etc. Do you shred all-important documents? Might think about it if you don’t already.
Never, Never, provide personal and secure information from phone calls, unknown E-Mail senders (Phishing), mail solicitations. You might also consider a mail slot directly
into your house or garage, rather than that trusted mailbox
attached to your house, even though we live in a gateguarded
community.
Also, Never leave driver’s licenses, credit cards, and laptop computers in a parked car, either while away from your home or in your driveway. Even if the car is locked.
Some additional tips and suggestions:
■■ Check your credit report regularly. You can get a Free
credit report once every 12 months by visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com
■■ Shred all secure documents containing identifying
information. You can do this at home with an inexpensive shredder or look for announcements in the paper for dates of Free shredding at nearby locations such as Dana Hills High School or Monarch Shopping Plaza.
■■ Update your virus protection on you computer software regularly. Use a firewall program. Don’t open files or download programs or click on links sent to you by strangers. Protect you password by a more complex combination of letters and numbers/symbols.
What to do RIGHT NOW if your identity is stolen: Immediately call all credit card issuers and utility companies. Contact your local police department and file a report. Report fraud to the three credit reporting companies. Alert your bank that you have become a victim of ID theft. Contact the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Fraud unit @ 1-866-658-5758 or difraud@dmv.ca.gov and alert them to the circumstances. Be safe and secure.
—Kent Wellbrock
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