Protect Your Personal Information
Criminals trying to steal your information can be clever, but you can protect yourself and your finances from them by following some basic guidelines.
Take care of your personal information
Your personal information is present on mail, credit cards, and identification. Protecting these pieces of information is the first step in reducing your risk of identity theft and fraud.
- Carry only necessary identification with you. Don’t carry your Social Security card.
- Treat your credit cards and Debit Cards like cash.
- Retrieve incoming mail from your mailbox quickly. Do not leave outgoing mail in an unsecured mailbox or any other location.
- Make copies of all of the financial information that you carry with you daily and store the copies in a safe place.
Provide information only to trusted sources
You should share your information only with trusted sources. If you can’t verify the identity of the source asking for your personal information, you should be very cautious about the disclosing any information.
- Never provide personal information unless you have initiated the contact and have confirmed the business or person’s identity.
- Be cautious of telephone and door-to-door solicitations.
- Be skeptical of offers that seem “too good to be true”. They usually are.
- Learn to recognize fraudulent emails. More information
For more information about how to protect your personal information or if you have fallen victim to identity theft, please visit the Federal Trade Commissions Website