{"id":478,"date":"2014-11-25T09:20:57","date_gmt":"2014-11-25T15:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/?p=478"},"modified":"2017-03-03T09:35:40","modified_gmt":"2017-03-03T15:35:40","slug":"identity-theft-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/2014\/11\/25\/identity-theft-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Identity Theft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Identity theft occurs when a person commits fraud while posing as someone else. The threat of identity theft is real and can take months or even years to recover from once you are a victim. Use the information below to familiarize yourself with the precautions you can take to minimize the chance of becoming a victim and, if you are a victim, these steps will help you correct the situation. <\/span><\/p>\n

FOLLOW THESE HELPFUL HINTS TO AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT:<\/p>\n

Personal:<\/p>\n

1. Order a copy of your credit report on a frequent basis (at least annually, preferably quarterly). You can request your credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com.<\/p>\n

2. If you have to give private information over the phone, ensure you are in a secure location.<\/p>\n

3. Shred all financial statements, billing statements, and pre-approved credit card offers.<\/p>\n

4. The IRS does not request personal\/financial data through email, so don\u2019t respond to any emails asking for that information.<\/p>\n

5. Check your financial accounts regularly.<\/p>\n

6. Select Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) and passwords carefully so they can\u2019t be easily guessed by someone else.<\/p>\n

7. Don\u2019t give out private information over the phone or Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know for certain to whom you are speaking.<\/p>\n

8. Destroy your computer\u2019s hard drive if you are selling it or giving it away.<\/p>\n

9. Don\u2019t carry your social security card with you.<\/p>\n

10. Don\u2019t carry your registration in your vehicle; instead, carry it in your wallet.<\/p>\n

11. Don\u2019t carry auto insurance policies in your car; instead, keep them safe at home.<\/p>\n

12. Make photo copies of all the cards in your wallet and keep them in a safe place.<\/p>\n

E-Commerce:<\/p>\n

1. Ensure you are using an ATM without someone watching you.<\/p>\n

2. Pay your bills online using a secure website if that option is available to you.<\/p>\n

3. Avoid entering your credit card number online unless it is encrypted on a secure website.<\/p>\n

Mail:<\/p>\n

1. Take outgoing personal and\/or bill payments to the U.S. Postal Service mailboxes or drop them off inside a post office.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u2019t write your account number on the outside of envelopes containing bill payments.<\/p>\n

3. Have the post office hold your mail when you are out of town.<\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t leave mail sitting in an unprotected mail box.<\/p>\n

Banking:<\/p>\n

1. Use traveler\u2019s checks versus personal checks when traveling.<\/p>\n

2. Review monthly bank and credit card statements for mistakes or unfamiliar charges.<\/p>\n

3. Have your paychecks directly deposited into your bank account.<\/p>\n

4. Avoid providing personal information\u2014account number or password\u2014over the phone or via the Internet.<\/p>\n

IF YOU ARE\u2014OR BECOME\u2014A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT, FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF:<\/p>\n

1. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): www.ftc.gov or 877.438.4338.<\/p>\n

2. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the four major credit bureaus:<\/p>\n

3. Close the accounts that have been used fraudulently.<\/p>\n

4. File a police report.<\/p>\n

5. Keep an identity theft log for your personal records.<\/p>\n

6. Contact other agencies that might be involved: Social Security Administration\u2019s Fraud Hotline (800.269.0271), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (888.877.7644), and the Internal Revenue Service (800.829.0433).<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.nelnet.com\/uploadedFiles\/Home_Content\/Financial_Literacy\/20093_PS_IdentityTheftFlyer_HRFIN.pdf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Identity theft occurs when a person commits fraud while posing as someone else. The threat of identity theft is real and can take months or even years to recover from once you are a victim. Use the information below to familiarize yourself with the precautions you can take to minimize the chance of becoming a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,11],"tags":[23,25,34],"class_list":{"0":"post-478","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-fraud","7":"category-student-info","8":"tag-fraud","9":"tag-identity-theft","10":"tag-student-info","11":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":634,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478\/revisions\/634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}