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Posted:  January 15, 2009

Identity Theft:   Steps You Can Take
 

Identity theft is a growing concern as it affects more and more people in our nation, state, city, and district community.  According to several sources, 64% of Texas households suffered from this crime over the past six years (4.7 million people).  In the U.S. as a whole, during this same six-year period, victims spent an estimated 19 million hours to resolve the burdening ramifications of this crime, and the financial impact was an astonishing $2.4 billion.

In understanding the scope of how identities are stolen and misused, we have assembled a list of suggestions designed to provide information security.  Though not exhaustive, this information does provide excellent precautionary steps each of us can take in order to thwart this crime.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, this is generally how ID thieves gain our personal information:

●  Go through our trash or “dumpster dive”

●  Steal our wallet or purse

●  Steal our mail or submit a change of address form for our mail

●  Use “phishing” or fake emails to get us to provide personal information

●  Steal personnel records from our employer

As a result, the FTC recommends a three-pronged approach to safeguarding our identification: 
Deter, Detect, and Defend.

Deter

  1. Shred financial documents before discarding them
  2. Protect your social security number
  3. Avoid giving out your personal information unless you are certain of who is receiving it
  4. Don’t use obvious passwords
  5. Keep your personal information secure

Detect

  1. Be alert:  for bills that don’t arrive on time in the mail and for denials of credit for no apparent reason

  2. Inspect your credit report:  the law entitles you to one free credit report from one of the national agencies if you request it

  3. Inspect your financial information:  look for charges you didn’t make or for banking transactions you didn’t make

Defend

Online

  1. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com and enter your information into its HTTSP (secure) website and they will link you to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion where you can do an online credit check.

  2. While online you can place a 90 day "Fraud Alert" on your credit report.

By Phone

  1. Place a “Fraud Alert” on your credit report by calling one of the following agencies:  Equifax at 800-525-6285, Experian at 888-397-3742, or TransUnion at 800-680-7289

  2. Carefully review your credit report for fraudulent activity

  3. Close accounts that have been fraudulently opened or tampered with

  4. File a police report

  5. Contact the Federal Trade Commission

Learn more about this matter at the following website:  www.ftc.gov/idtheft; or by phone at
877-ID-Theft.  An additional site is www.ftc.gov/infosecurity.

In addition to this information, we have created a list of precautionary steps garnered from a variety of sources, including victims of ID theft. 

Precautionary Steps
  1. Shred all discarded documents that have personal or sensitive information – do not leave this task to someone else
  2. Never send information like driver license or social security numbers in an email or over the Internet
  3. Never carry your social security card in your purse or wallet
  4. Never open emails or attachments from unsolicited sources
  5. Always use a good antivirus program, and keep it updated
  6. Never use file sharing programs
  7. Change your password at least every 90 days and avoid the use of simple passwords, preferring instead an alpha-numeric system
  8. Configure a screen saver password that will activate shortly after the user walks away from the computer
  9. Avoid sending sensitive information over a fax line
  10. Avoid copying sensitive information on photocopiers which have hard drives
  11. Purchase identity theft insurance
  12. Never pre-print your social security number and/or driver license number on checks
  13. Pre-print your first and middle initials, instead of your full name, on checks
  14. Refuse to give out your social security number without first fully understanding how the information will be used (and never do this over the Internet)
  15. Shred documents at home that come in the mail with identifying information
  16. Mail letters, forms, etc. which require identifying information (driver license number, bank account information, social security number) from a post office – do not place them in your mailbox at home
  17. Consider re-routing your home mail to a post office box
  18. Check your credit history regularly and always check your charge card activity upon receiving your bill
  19. Place a security freeze on your credit – this compels credit companies to contact you before opening new accounts (accomplished by calling the credit bureaus)
  20. Safeguard purses and wallets, especially when leaving your classroom or work area for an extended period of time
  21. Safeguard laptops – how easy would it be to steal your laptop at work – and do not store a social security number anywhere on the computer

Finally, if you should become a victim of this insidious crime, please take the following steps (at a minimum): 

●  Make an identity theft affidavit (contact FTC @ 1-877-ID-THEFT)

●  Contact the police

●  Cancel your credit cards, ATM cards, and phone cards

●  Call the credit bureaus

●  Report stolen checks

- Certegy: 800-437-5120

- TeleCheck: 800-710-9898

- TeleCheck (merchant services): 800-366-1054

●  Review your Social Security earnings statement

●  If someone is using your driver license number fraudulently, obtain a new number

●  Contact the local Postal Inspector (800-275-8777) to report stolen mail

(Information Source:  http://articles.directorym.com/Identity_Theft_FAQ_Texas-r935219-Texas.html.)

District employees who fall victim to this crime are encouraged to contact the Director of Security at 972-261-5103.

Irving ISD Safety & Security Website