General Tips for Computer and Online Use
- 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.
Equifax –www.equifax.com
To order your report, call 800.685.1111
To report fraud, call 800.525.6285
TDD 800.255.0056
To write: PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241Experian – www.experian.com
To order your report, call 888.EXPERIAN (397.3742)
To report fraud, call 888.EXPERIAN (397.3742)
TDD 800.972.0322
To write: PO Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013TransUnion – www.transunion.com
To order your report, call 800.888.4213
To report fraud, call 800.680.7289
TDD 877.553.7803; fax: 714.447.6034;
Email: fvad@transunion.com
To write: Fraud Victim Assistance Department, PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634-6790 - 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).
General Tips for Personal Information Security
- 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 (see above) 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.
Vacation Tips
- 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.
