Emergency Preparedness Committee: Identity Protection

Before you forget, circle these days in May you DON’T want to let slip by: May 13—Mother’s Day; 23—World Turtle Day (OK, look it up); 28—Memorial Day; AND, of course my birthday!!
Now for some questions: Do you lock your doors when you go to bed or leave the house? Do you put on your seat belt when you get in the car? Do you turn off the oven when you’re finished cooking? Of course you do!
But have you taken steps to safeguard your identity? Did you know that in 2016 over $16 Billion was stolen through IDENTITY FRAUD in the U.S.? In 2017 over 143 million people in the U.S. were affected by an Equifax credit breach exposing serious vulnerabilities in identity protection. And while no single fix exists to control identity theft, a variety of actions can help protect us.FREEZE YOUR CREDIT ACCOUNTS: If someone hacks into your credit, you can have everything from your Social Security number to your account details stolen. By freezing your credit accounts, you will:
■ Halt banks and credit companies from pulling your reports.
■ Prevent others from gaining access to your sensitive information. To freeze your credit, you will need to contact each credit-reporting company individually. Married couples should keep in mind that both spouses have individual credit records to protect.
ADDITIONAL SAFEGUARDS:
■ Check your credit report and look for behavior you do not recognize.
■ Monitor your credit cards and bank accounts to catch odd charges.
■ Place a fraud alert on all sensitive accounts to warn creditors.
CONTACT CREDIT BUREAUS:
■ Equifax: (800) 846-5279
■ Experian: (888) 397-3741
■ Transunion: (800) 916-8800
More to come next month, so stay tuned for this:
■ Using secure passwords and transactions. Online fraud is on the rise.
■ Protecting your Social Security number.
■ Managing your credit card(s).
—Kent Wellbrock