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Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Prosecutor Brizzi offers the following tips to avoid identity theft:
- Obtain a copy of your credit report at least once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus. Look for an address change you didn't make or new accounts you didn't open. Cancel accounts you don't use or only rarely use--open credit is a prime target.
- Place passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information for the password, such as your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number or your phone number. Don't write the passwords down anywhere. Commit them to memory.
- Shred bank and credit card statements, canceled checks, preapproved credit card offers, bills with account information and the like.
- Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.
- Guard your mailbox and trash. When you pay bills, don't put them in your mailbox with the flag up. Use a locked mailbox or go to the post office. If at all possible, put your trash out shortly before the scheduled pickup time.
- If you use a computer at home, protect yourself by installing firewall and virus protection software. If you have such software, update it regularly. If you buy something online, make sure the site is encrypted.
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