Personal Information
- Ask your bank, doctor’s office, other businesses and your employer if they
protect your personal information.
- Never carry your Social Security card, Social Security number, birth certificate or passport unless necessary.
- Do not put your address, telephone number or driver’s license number on a credit card sales receipt.
- Social Security numbers or phone numbers should not be put on checks.
- Identifying information should not be given over the phone or the Internet to someone you do not know or on a cellular or cordless phone.
- Shred all personal documents before placing them in the trash!
- If your state uses your Social Security number as your driver’s license number, ask for another number.
Financial Information
- Get a credit report from the three national credit reporting agencies every year.
- Keep your financial records out of sight. Burglars are just as interested in credit cards, bank accounts and investment statements as they are in your jewelry and other valuables.
- Check monthly credit card statements for charges you did not make. If monthly statements do not arrive in the mail call the lender immediately.
- Keep a list, in a safe place, of all credit cards and bank accounts including the account numbers, phone numbers and expiration dates. Check if your online purchase is processed on a secure server.
- Shred financial or confidential information such as credit card pre-approvals, credit card receipts, etc.
- If you have credit cards you do not use, store them in a safe place. Cancel the accounts if you will not use them again. Cut up old credit cards before discarding.
- Carry only the credit cards you plan to use.
- When you have applied for a new credit card, keep your eye on the mail and the calendar. If the card does not arrive within the appropriate time, call the credit card company.
- Do not use your mother’s maiden name as a password for accounts. Make one up.
- Unless your mailbox is secure, mail payments at the post office and pick up new checks at your bank.
- If you are not interested in pre-approved credit offers, opt-out using the telephone number in our resource section.
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