IDENTITY THEFT -- MINIMIZE YOUR RISK

While you probably can’t prevent identity theft entirely, you can minimize your risk. By managing your personal information wisely, cautiously, and with an awareness of the issue, you can help guard against identity theft:

• Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and whether it will be shared with others.

• 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 you credit card account.

• Guard your mail from theft. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it has been delivered. If you’re planning to be away from home and can’t pick up you mail, call the Ridley Park Post Office at 610-521-6107

• Create passwords for your credit card, bank, and phone accounts.

• Minimize the identification information and the number of cards you carry to what you’ll actually need.

• Do not give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, and over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know who you’re dealing with.

• Keep items with personal information in a safe place. To thwart an identity thief who may pick through your trash or recycling bins to capture your personal information, tear or shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements your may be discarding, expired charge cards, and credit offers you get in the mail.

• Reveal your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible.

• Don’t carry your Social Security card; keep it in a secure place.