Identity Theft Prevention

• MOST IMPORTANT - Buy a cross-cut shredder and shred anything with personal or financial information on it before throwing it away.  This includes all credit card and loan offers you receive in the mail.  Remember, trash and paper recycling put out on the curb becomes public domain.
• When you are writing checks to pay your credit card accounts, do not write your complete account number on the Memo line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.
• Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks-you can write it in if necessary.
• Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each license, credit card, etc.  You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.
• Make a photocopy of your passport and keep it in a place different from your passport.

Many victims of identity theft don't discover what has happened until they apply for credit to buy a car or a home. Avoid this by obtaining a FREE credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus every year. If you live in Maryland, copies of your report are totally free. You do not have to pay anything unless you want to receive additional information or services like your credit score.  At last check, Experian was the only one who made it easy to request a free report online.  It may be easier to call the others unless you want to pay.

• Equifax  www.equifax.com
  Phone: 1-800-685-1111
  
  
• Experian  www.experian.com/FreeState
  Phone: 888-397-3742
  
  
• TransUnion  www.transunion.com
  Phone: 800-888-4213