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New York, NY 10007
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Reduce Your Risk of ID Theft
Be stingy with your personal information.
Don't give it away without careful consideration. Question businesses that claim they need your social security number and ask for an alternate identifier whenever possible. Avoid online and real-world scams by refusing to give out information if you didn't initiate the contact. If someone emails or calls you with an offer you may be interested in, decline their requests for personal information, then look up the company's phone number or Web site and contact their customer service department to verify the offer.
Check your credit reports for unfamiliar accounts.
Check your credit reports at least once a year and whenever you have reason to worry. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com to get one free credit report from each of the three (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) once a year. Additional reports may be obtained for a nominal fee. You do not need to purchase any additional services to get your reports from this Web site. Other sites that offer a "free credit report" come with strings attached.
You are also entitled to a free credit report if you are denied credit and when you contact the to place a fraud warning on your account when you suspect identity theft.
Keep your computer and Internet connections secure.
Otherwise, you leave information stored on your hard drive open to hackers and your computer vulnerable to and other malicious programs. Visit our Safeguarding Your Computer page to learn how.
Read privacy policies.
Know how the companies you do business with use and protect your information. Visit our Online Shopping and Auctions page for a guide to privacy policies and other resources to help you shop safe online.
Be careful social networking.
For unwary users, blogs and sites like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook can become online bulletin boards of personally identifying information. Even regular users may accidentally post info that a clever ID thief could use in combination with other sources to steal their identity. Visit out Social Networking page to learn more.