You can prevent identity theft

From the Office of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch

The Minnesota Attorney Gen-eral’s Office warns consumers to watch out for identity thieves. Identity thieves range from old-fashioned pickpockets to soph-isticated theft rings with high-tech equipment. Although these groups might seem different, both exist to commit fraud.

You may not be able to completely protect yourself from having your identity stolen, but limiting access to information can reduce the risk. Consider following these steps to better protect private data.

Remove your name from
marketing lists

You may remove your name, or “opt out,” from marketing or promotional lists maintained by credit bureaus, direct marketers, and other organizations with which you have a relationship.

o Credit Bureaus. The credit bureaus offer the right to “opt out” of having pre-approved unsolicited credit offers sent to you for two years. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) for more information. When you receive a pre-approved credit offer in the mail, please remember to shred the offer, as there is the possibility that any credit offers thrown in the trash might become a potential target for thieves.

o Financial Institutions. You can opt-out of banks, insurers and other financial institutions sharing your customer information. Under Federal law, they are required to honor your request. However, it does not prevent these institutions from sharing your information with sister companies’ subsidiaries or companies with whom they have a “joint marketing agreement.”

o Direct Marketers. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is a trade association of catalogers, financial services firms, publishers, book and music clubs, online service companies, and others involved in direct and database marketing. Place your name on the DMA’s do-not-call and do-not-mail lists by contacting the following address by postcard (including name and address):

Direct-Mail Marketing

Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

Telemarketing

Direct Marketing Association
Telephone Preference Service
P.O. Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014

Of course, writing to these addresses will only stop mailings and calls from companies following the DMA’s policies.

Don’t be an easy target

Don’t mail personal checks in envelopes from a home mailbox when you pay bills. If stolen, checks can provide valuable information to a thief or be altered and cashed. Credit card payments, if acquired by a thief, contain all the information necessary to steal an identity. Also, consider installing a locked mailbox at your residence to reduce the possibility of mail theft

Remove extraneous information such as your middle name, phone number, social security number or driver’s license number when you order new checks from your financial institution. Also, do not use any combination of numbers that could be easily detected by thieves when creating passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs). Don’t use the last four digits of your Social Security number, your birth date, middle name, mother’s maiden name, address or consecutive numbers.

Don’t toss credit card convenience checks or pre-approved credit offers in your trash or recycling bin before first tearing them into small pieces or shredding them. The solicitations can be used by “Dumpster divers” to cash the checks or order credit cards in your name. Do the same with other sensitive information like credit receipts, bank statements and important bills you do not retain for your records.

Finally, carefully review records, including credit card statements and mortgage statements for unauthorized charges or fraudulent use. In addition, scrutinize your local, long distance and cellular bills each month and report any unauthorized use to your service provider.

Be smart with credit cards

Don’t give out your credit card number or other personal information over the phone unless you know with whom you’re doing business. Even then, before revealing any personal information, find out how it will be used or shared with others. Also, check for fraudulent use of your credit accounts. Once a year, order a copy of your credit report from the three largest credit bureaus. Under Minneso-ta law, you can order your credit report for $3 per credit bureau once every year. Contact the Attorney General’s Office to request Credit Contact Informa-tion, a one-page flier that contains an order-form to use when requesting your credit report.

Shop smartly on-line

The Internet puts vast information at your fingertips. Before shopping, though, make sure that you are familiar with the company or seller, including their privacy policy. Disclose only necessary personal information, and opt-out of possible information sharing if possible.
The Minnesota Attorney Gene-al’s Office publishes a free bro-chure, Guarding Your Privacy, that contains more information on identity theft. This and other information is also available at the Office’s website in the Privacy section. If you would like a copy of this brochure, Credit Contact Information, or have a question or complaint involving privacy, please contact the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office by phone, mail or electronically as follows:

Minnesota Attorney General’s Office
1400 NCL Tower
445 Minnesota Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 296-3353
1-800-657-3787
TTY: (651) 297-7206
TTY: 1-800-366-4812
www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer

Federal Trade Commission
Identity Theft Clearinghouse
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20580
1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
TDD: (202) 326-2502
www.consumer.gov/idtheft