• Install and regularly update a firewall along with anti-virus protection.
• Do not open any emails from unknown sources.
• Do not install software from an unknown source.
• Check your credit report periodically from each of the three credit bureaus, to make sure there is nothing unusual.
• Contact your financial institution immediately if you notice any changes in account information or suspicious charges to your account.
• Try to avoid storing financial information on a laptop. If that is the only computer you own, guard the files with passwords that are not easily guessed and avoid using an automatic login feature that saves your user name and password so you don’t have to type it in each time you want to login or enter a website. Always log off when you are finished on a secure site.
• Make sure any website you use to apply for any financial account or any site that requires personal information is using a secured website and is federally insured (look for the “lock” icon in the lower right corner).
• If you are planning on buying a new computer, be sure to delete all personal files before disposing of the original computer. Files may stay on the computer if you only delete them. Use a “wipe” utility program to permanently erase the files (this will overwrite the entire hard drive). For more information go to www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oig/hq/harddrive.pdf from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

• Do not carry your social security card, birth certificate, or passport unless you absolutely have to. Also avoid printing your social security number on anything you carry.
• Carry only the credit card(s) you will need and try to keep the number of cards you carry low to reduce the risk of them getting stolen.
• Do not give out any personal information including checking, credit card or social security numbers over the phone unless you initiate the call or can verify who the caller is.
• Shred any bank account statements or credit card bills, credit card applications or any account information that is no longer needed before you discard it. Also, cut and destroy any credit cards that you no longer use and never throw away credit card receipts in public.
• Never write your PIN (Personal Identification Number) on your ATM or credit card.
• Some people will resort to stealing your mail before or after you read it to get your personal information. Make sure you are aware of when current statements and bills should be arriving to help prevent this.
• Drop-off outgoing mail at the post office to avoid leaving it unattended in a driveway or porch mailbox.
• Watch for letters you receive informing you that you’ve been approved or denied credit you never applied for, or bills and statements you do not recognize.
• Have a protective statement added to your credit file. This tells potential creditors to contact you personally before approving any applications made in your name. This can be done by contacting any of the three credit bureaus and the company will notify the other two national credit reporting agencies of the statement added to your file.
• Always ask how personal information will be used and if it will be shared with other third parties.
• Balance your checkbook regularly and watch for skipped check numbers or amounts that are unfamiliar.
• Store extra checks and deposit slips in a locked location to avoid guests or visitors from removing these items for later use.

• Contact the post office to stop mail from coming to your house while you are away. You may want to stop newspaper and other deliveries too.
• Vary your home lighting to make it look like people are at home and actively moving about the house.
• Put any documents with personal information that you are leaving behind in a safe and secure place for the entire duration of your vacation.
• Keep a list of every item in your wallet or purse in a secure place in your hotel room or where ever you are staying (i.e. credit card companies you would need to contact in the event that your wallet or purse is stolen). Make sure you do not include account numbers on the list.
• Do not keep personal information lying around the hotel room.
• If you are planning to take checks on vacation, travelers cheques would be better than personal checks. They can be replaced faster and with less hassle than personal checks.

Consider Using a Credit Monitoring Service

• For the ultimate in identity theft protection, we recommend you try PrivacyGuard, one of the nation’s leading credit monitoring services.
• With PrivacyGuard, you get 24/7 credit monitoring support, with automatic alerts and real-time customer service, when and where you need it.

Try PrivacyGuard today for just $1 and receive the following:

• Get a copy of your confidential Credit Report, compiled from the three national reporting agencies. Then gain instant online access to your credit history so you can maintain the accuracy of your file on a regular basis.
• See all the available financial data about your payment history, credit usage, length of credit history, and any bankruptcies, compiled into a model that calculates a score between 350 and 850– the higher the score, the better.
• Access important reports such as your Driving Record and Medical Record (from the Medical Information Bureau) to be sure your insurance rates are based on your records and not someone else’s.
• See who’s been checking your credit record, and adding information, with a list of insurers, companies, landlords, employers, and other institutions that have asked to see a copy of your credit history within the last six months.
• Receive up to $10,000 reimbursement if your identity is ever stolen. PrivacyGuard will even
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