Protect Yourself Online

•  Never provide your personal information including your Social Security number, account numbers or passwords in response to an unsolicited request.
•  Never click on a link provided in an e-mail you believe is fraudulent.
•  If you believe a contact is legitimate, contact the company or agency yourself using numbers or addresses that you know are correct from resources such as monthly statements or phone books.

Warning Signs of Identity Theft
•  Your statement has charges that are not yours
•  Your financial or credit card statements don't arrive
•  You receive bills for goods or services you didn't request
•  You get phone calls from collectors
•  Suddenly you are denied credit.

Steps to Take if You are a Victim
•  Contact the three major credit bureaus and report that your identity has been stolen.  Ask them to place a "fraud alert" on your file
•  Contact your financial institution and credit card companies.
•  Contact the police and file a report.  Be sure to get a copy of the report in case you need to provide proof to credit card companies, etc.
•  Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  The Federal Trade Commission website (OnGuard Online) has a lot of valuable information on deterring, detecting, and defending against identity theft.