Today at the Westwood, Mass. Rotary Group we had a speaker from the Boston Based Better Business Bureau. The speaker was Rachel Meyer, she is a Communications & Marketing Specialist with the BBB. After our meeting I went up and introduced myself, and thanked her for the great information on Identity Theft. I asked her if I could share this information, and she said sure so here it is.
According to the Federal Trade Comission (FTC), about 9
million Americans have their identity stolen each year. By not
taking the proper precautions during everyday transactions, like
using your debit card at the store, writing a check to pay your
bills, or shopping online with a credit card, you are increasing
your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft yourself.
Sources for identity theft include skimming, shoulder
surfers, dumpster divers, lost or stolen wallets, and internet
fraud, among others. You can minimize the risk of your
information getting into the wrong hands in a few simple ways:
• Keep your personal information private. Do not give it over the
phone or to unsolicited calls or ernails. Ask them to send
information in writing.
• Keep personal information in a secure place at home.
• Shred all documents containing personal information.
• Double check all receipts with bank statements and credit card
bills.
• Verify reliability of companies with BBB before doing business.
• Check your credit report at least once a year by contacting
one of the three credit agencies.
Transunion
Order your credit report by phone:
1-877-322-8228
Report Fraud: 1-800-680-7289
TDD: 1-877-553-7803
www.transunion.com
Fraud Department
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
Experian
Order your credit report by phone:
1-888-397-3742
Report Fraud: 1-888-397-3742
TDD: 1-800-972-0322
www.experian.com
PO Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
Equifax
Order your credit report by phone:
1-800-685-1111
Report Fraud-1-800-525-6285
TDD: 1-800-255-0056
www.equifax.com
PO Box 740241
Atlanta GA 30374
Better Business Bureau
235 West Central Street, Suite 1
Natick, MA 01760
508-652-4800
info@boston.bbb.org
bbb.org
To opt out of pre-approved credit offers call1-888-S-0PT-OUT or log on to www.optoutprescreen.com
To register for the Do Not Call Registry call 1-866-231-CALL or log on to www.mass.gov/donotcall
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