Ten simple tips to protect your identity.
Probity Financial Services is committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and security of our customers’ personal information and want to help you do the same. Here are 10 simple tips that will go a long way toward protecting your personal information:
1. Print your short first name or initials along with your last name on your checks, and sign your signature card and checks using your full name (Example: print Mike Jones and sign Michael D. Jones). If your checkbook is stolen, the thief won’t know how you sign your name but your bank will.
2. Never print your Social Security number or driver’s license number on your checks or use them as a user ID, password or PIN.
3. If you pay your credit card accounts with a check, don’t write the complete account number on the check. Just write the last four digits. Your credit card company knows the rest of the number, and it won’t be available to others handling your check as it passes through processing channels.
4. Don’t sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, write "Photo ID Required".
5. Copy all contents (both sides) of your wallet (driver’s license, credit cards, etc.) and keep the photocopy in a safe place.
6. Passwords and PINs:
- Don’t share them with others;
- Don’t store them on your computer;
- Change them regularly; and
- Use different ones for each account
7. Access your financial accounts from your own computer and always click the “Log Out” button to terminate online access. Avoid public computers when accessing financial accounts.
8. Don’t respond to emails requesting personal information. A legitimate financial institution will never ask you to provide or confirm sensitive information through email.
9. Regularly review your transactions online (checking accounts, credit cards, etc.) and contact your financial institution immediately if you did not make or authorize any transactions that appear.
10. Periodically review your credit reports for inaccuracies and unauthorized activity. You can get a free credit report from the three main credit bureaus every 12 months at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only authorized online source for free credit reports under federal law.
If your financial account information is stolen, file a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation. Also, call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
Equifax : 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion : 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271