The idea of someone stealing your identity is frightening. In 2006, 8.4 million Americans became victims of identity fraud. In cases where the thief was identified, more than half the time he or she was a coworker, neighbor, in-home employee, friend or family member of the victim.
According to a 2007 survey, young adults age 18-24 experience the highest rate of identity fraud, and younger victims are nearly twice as likely to be victimized by people they know, such as friends, roommates and neighbors.*
You can stop identity theft at the source by preventing your private information from falling into the wrong hands. Become more defensive against fraud during everyday activities by following these simple prevention tips.
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| Prevention of Identity Fraud |
| Recommendation |
Findings from
Identity Fraud Safety Report* |
| Cancel your paper bills and statements wherever possible and instead check your statements and pay bills online |
- Paper records and mail are the avenue of many identity theft cases
- Self-detection of identity fraud by electronic means resulted in lowest loss of money compared with other methods of detection
- The Internet and computers are used as the means to identity theft in only a small minority of cases
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| Refrain from carrying unnecessary information, such as pin numbers, passwords, or Social Security numbers in your wallet or purse. |
- Lost or stolen wallets, purses or checkbooks are the number one known cause of identity theft
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| Keep highly sensitive financial information (bank statements, log-in for online banking accounts, ATM card PIN numbers or paper checks) away from where others, including family members, friends, neighbors, and domestic employees, could potentially access it. |
- Family and relatives along with friends and neighbors make up half of all known identity thieves
- Frauds committed by family and relatives have higher total cost, higher out-of-pocket cost, and require more time to resolve the incident than frauds committed by other groups of criminals
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| Retrieve paper mail promptly and deposit mail with sensitive information in a secure outgoing mailbox |
- Traditional means of stealing information such as through paper mail are still the most common ways thieves gained access to information
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| Shred sensitive documents before discarding |
- Paper records are the source of many identity theft cases
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| Use and regularly update firewall, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software |
- Protection software thwarts many online criminal activities
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| *Copyright 2007 and 2005, Javelin Strategy and Research. All Rights Reserved. This report licensed for use by Columbia Credit Union only. It is protected by copyright and other intellectually property law. You may display or print for your use only. You may not sell, publish, distribute, re-transmit, or
otherwise provide access to this report. |
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More Tips
- Designate a password for your Visa® debit card with Verified by VISA®.
- Choose a PIN that is hard to guess. Don't use personal identifying numbers, such as birthdays, phone numbers and Social Security numbers.
- Don't leave your purse or wallet in your car.
- Be wary of Internet or email hoaxes, spoofs and scams. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau before doing business with unknown companies.
- Follow safe ATM etiquette. Be alert; look for anything suspicious (tampered machine, overly helpful bystanders). Keep "shoulder surfers" from observing your PIN when you enter it.
- Change your daily routine. Don't be too predictable.
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