Military Officer - December 2007 - (Page 48) financialforum Identity Theft Your personal information easily can be accessed by thieves looking to steal your identity, unless you take some necessary steps to protect yourself. By Phil Dyer, CFP W One Way to Protect Your Identity ■ MOAA offers the Identity Guard credit monitoring service to help protect you from identity theft. You can find out more by visiting www.moaa.org/ products and clicking on Identity Guard or by calling (800) 214-4791. ith the holiday season in full swing, identity thieves are working overtime to bilk you and merchants alike. According to recent estimates, more than 10 million Americans are victims of identity theft each year. When it comes to preventing identity theft, the best offense is a good defense. Here are some steps you can take to help protect yourself from identity theft: Get a copy of your credit report. All consumers are entitled to receive one free copy of their credit report from each of the major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) every 12 months. Visit www.annualcre ditreport.com or call (877) 322-8228 to get yours. You can get a combined report from all three agencies or get an individual one every four months. Stop the solicitations. Getting off of phone telemarketing and mail solicitation lists can cut opportunities for thieves to contact you. To get on the National “Do Not Call” Registry, visit www.donotcall .gov. Registration protects you for five years — and don’t forget to register cell phones. To opt out of credit card, insurance, and other mail solicitations, visit www.optout prescreen.com or call (888) 567-8688. Shred it. Any documents with identifying information on them, such as Social Security numbers, bank account or credit card numbers, PIN information, and birthdays, never should be thrown away. Instead, buy a crosscut shredder to dispose of these documents. A significant number of identity theft cases involve thieves dumpster-diving to retrieve discarded documents. Other documents that should be shredded include pay stubs, tax returns, and pre-approved credit card offers. Be careful with your computer. Protection steps include choosing good passwords (avoid your mother’s maiden name and your child or spouse’s name or birthday), using the most up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software, securing your wireless network, and ignoring online solicitations asking for personal information, even those that appear to be official. Watch the mail. Never put checks in your mailbox. Many identity thieves cruise neighborhoods looking for raised mailbox flags and steal the contents. Instead, drop your mail into a postal mailbox or use an online bill-paying service. If you are a victim of identity theft, immediately contact local law enforcement, your bank and credit card companies, and all three credit bureaus, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/bcp/index.shtml. All three credit bureaus now allow consumers to freeze their credit; this is free for identity theft victims, while other consumers will be charged a small fee. MO — Former Army Capt. Phil Dyer, CFP®, is deputy director, Benefits Information and Financial Education. To find a financial planner near you, contact Garrett Planning Network at (866) MOAA-GPN (662-2476) or www.moaa .org/garrett, or visit www.moaa.org/financial center for other resources. PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN 48 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2007 http://www.annualcreditreport.com http://www.annualcreditreport.com http://www.moaa.org/products http://www.moaa.org/products http://www.donotcall.gov http://www.donotcall.gov http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/index.shtml http://www.optoutprescreen.com http://www.optoutprescreen.com http://www.moaa.org/garrett http://www.moaa.org/garrett http://www.moaa.org/financialcenter
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.