News & Information

Identify theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. This is not a small problem, as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. There are some things you can do to try and avoid Identity Theft.

• Upon receiving your credit card and bank statements each month, take a close look to make sure that no unauthorized activities occurred.

• Call your bank or credit card company if a statement is late. A missing bill could be an indication that identity theft has occurred or a thief has recently obtained your information.

• Never give out personal information over email, the Internet or the phone unless you have initiated the contact. Identity thieves often pose as government officials, representatives from the bank, credit card companies, or Internet service providers in order to con you into revealing your personal information.
• Use intricate passwords for you computer, email and Internet accounts. Use a combination of numbers, capital and lowercase letters.

• Shred documents, like credit card receipts and insurance forms that show your personal information before you dispose of them.

• Don’t leave outgoing mail in your own mailbox. It’s incredibly easy for identity thieves to target mailboxes and pull bank numbers from checks, information from bills, and other sensitive information.

• Cancel credit cards that you don’t need or use.

• Keep your social security card in a safe location. Only give out your social security number when it’s absolutely necessary.