You can never be 100% protected from identity thieves, but you can do a lot to make it difficult for thieves to get your information. Early detection is the key. An average of 12 months pass by before most people realize they are victims of Identity Theft.

Credit bureaus, also known as Credit Reporting Agencies, maintain your credit history files. Order your credit report at least once each year from all three of the major credit bureaus to detect evidence of identity theft. Reviewing your credit report is the best tool to detect identity theft.

Thanks to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), all Americans can receive one free credit report from each bureau annually. Identity theft victims can receive two copies from each bureau in the year the theft occurs. The free annual credit reports can be ordered online, by phone, or by mail.

Review your credit reports thoroughly for suspicious charges and credit inquires that represent attempts to open an account in your name. Incorrect addresses are also a clue a thief may have attempted to get a credit card in your name.

The three major credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each bureau will sell you credit reports for a small fee if you want additional credit reports after ordering your free reports. You can order additional credit reports through a credit bureau web site, by phone, or by mail as shown below.

The FACT act has made other "specialty reports" available free of charge..

Are you getting tired of all those pre-approved credit card offers in your mailbox? You can stop them today. Creditors pre-screen your credit history with the one or more of the credit bureaus before they mail a pre-approved credit card offer to you. That's where you have the power. You can stop the credit bureau pre-screening by calling 1-888-5OPTOUT (1-888-567- 8688). The three major credit bureaus use the same toll-free number to let consumers choose not to receive pre-screened credit offers. Make the call for each person in your family. You can also opt out through a single web site.

Put passwords on your credit card, credit union, retirement, and phone accounts and with any other financial relationship you have. Don't confuse this idea with the passwords you might use when logging into a website. These passwords are used when you call or visit a business. For example, your bank should not talk to you on the phone or at the teller without asking your for this password.

Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers. Test the businesses occasionally to ensure they continue to ask for your password.

You definitely want to avoid the situation where the identity thief sets up a password of his choosing with your financial institutions. Imagine the surprise when you call your credit card company and they inform you that they can't share information with you without the password! It has happened. Put passwords on your accounts before the thief has an opportunity to do it.

Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from an unlocked mailbox. Replace curbside mailboxes with lockable boxes. Your postman won't be able to pick up mail from your box but he'll still be able to deliver it.

Pick up check orders from your credit union instead of having them mailed to your house.

Contact your employer and businesses that maintain records on you. Find out who has access to your personal information and how it is handled. Verify that they keep your records in a secure location.

A fisherman doesn't catch all the fish in the sea when he casts his net but he will capture enough to make it worthwhile. Identity thieves can also 'cast a wide net' for phishing by sending out thousands of emails with the press of a button. The emails contain bait to lure the unsuspecting victims. The phishing emails try to instill a sense of urgency or tempt you with amazing opportunities to get rich quick.

Don't click on links in emails or reply to them if you don't know the sender or you suspect a phishing attempt.

Fake websites are also used for phishing attempts. Some phishing sites use typosquatting to trick an unsuspecting user. The identity thieves will register domains with web addresses very close to commonly used web sites to collect passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers and other interesting pieces of information. The World Privacy Forum identified 96 domains that are similar to www.annualcreditreport.com.

Your web browser has settings to help you avoid phishing web sites by comparing links to databases of known phishing sites.

• IE7 - Select Tools >Phishing Filter > Turn On Automatic Website Checking and then press OK
• FireFox - The phishing filter is enabled by default using a downloaded list of known phishing sites. You can use Google's updated list of phishing sites by selecting Tools > Options > Security and then selecting 'Check by asking Google about each site I visit'.

The Social Security Act was enacted in August 1935. A byproduct of this legislation was the decision to assign every citizen who qualified for social security benefits and/or contributed a social security tax the unique record identifier that is widely known as the Social Security Number. The intention from the beginning was that the SSN be a primary identifier only within the Social Security Administration. What happened?

Your social security number is used everywhere today. It's the perfect unique identifier used by computer databases in all aspects of business. Sadly, the SSN is even used as a student ID in many universities. The ubiquitous use of the SSN is exactly what makes it so valuable to the identity thief.

• Give your SSN only when absolutely necessary. Sometimes businesses want your SSN for simple record keeping. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible.
• Don't put your SSN on your checks and don't let a merchant do it either.
• Don't carry your social security card; leave it in a secure place.
• Ask businesses not to print your SSN on documents sent through the mail.

• Keep some information out of the obituary.
• Use year of birth instead of month, day, and year.
• Don't put addresses. ( ID thieves and burglars like this info ).
• Notify the Social Security Administration of the death.
• Call 800-772-1213
• The hearing impaired can call 800-325-0778
• Cancel all credit cards and other financial accounts in the deceased's name.
• Use certified mail to send copies of the death certificate to all three credit bureaus and request that a "deceased" alert be added to their credit report.
• Equifax Office of Fraud Assistance
  PO Box 105069
  Atlanta, GA 30348


• Experian
  PO Box 9530
  Allen, TX 75013


• TransUnion
  PO Box 6790
  Fullerton, CA 92834
• Cancel driver's license to prevent duplicates from being issued.
• Order a credit report for the deceased several weeks after their death to check for suspicious activity.

Don't throw away your computer without completely destroying the data on the hard drive. Read this article about the hazards of not destroying your hard drive.

Minimize the identification information and the number of cards you carry to what you'll actually need. What will your identity thief get if he stole your wallet or purse right now? Do you really need to carry two or more credit cards? Take some time now to make copies of the important items - credit cards, ID cards, ATM cards, etc. Make a contact list of the fraud departments for each account.

Get in the habit of using a cross-cut shredder to shred all documents with information you're not willing to share with others. Inquire about the shredding policies of businesses that maintain information about you. Put your garbage on the curb on the day of collection. Don't allow a thief to have access to your garbage during the cover of darkness.

Identity Theft Seminar
Almost 10 million Americans become victims of identity theft each year. I became a victim in 2001. I've researched identity theft almost daily since then to protect myself and help others. I want to help you avoid this nightmare.

Your odds of becoming a victim are greatly reduced with knowledge, awareness, and detection. Take action now to avoid becoming the next victim.

Email me if your group is interested in sponsoring an ID theft presentation.

Seminar Flyer (pdf file)