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Have incoming mail delivered to a secure
location
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Send outgoing mail only from a secure mail
collection method
 | mail drop
inside the post office |
| official USPS postal collection box |
| hand mail directly to postal carrier
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Do not send confidential mail
(including anything with an enclosed check) from a insecure
mailing location, such as
| company mail pickup (why trust
unknown mailroom workers?) |
| rural mailbox (flag up for mail pickup) |
|
hotel outgoing mail box |
| box labeled "outgoing mail"
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Use
a gel-pen when writing checks to protect them from being changed
| There have been reports of criminals chemically "washing" payee and
amount information from checks and replacing with unauthorized payees and
amounts ("cash" and "$10,000" perhaps). Apparently gel-pen ink is the
only type immune to this attack.
See a "washing" experiment and results.
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|
|
 Freeze your credit report to
prevent others from obtaining credit using your information.
All U.S. residents have the ability to prevent anyone
from obtaining their credit reports by placing a free security freeze on
their credit reports.
Read all about
the NY credit freeze law. For other states, click
here.
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Check your credit rating periodically for
unknown credit lines and unauthorized changes of address or phone number.
|
Federal
law requires an free annual credit report be available from each of the three
credit-reporting companies. Rather than getting the three reports at the same time,
rotate among the different companies every four months, giving you a more
up-to-date picture without expense. Get your free report at
http://annualcreditreport.com.
You must use links at that site in order to receive your free
reports; if you go directly to the agency sites (listed below), you'll be
charged. You can also call 877-322-8228 for your free reports.
Note: if you want your credit score (used by creditors when applying for
loans such as mortgages or auto loans), you'll have to pay for it, at
myfico.com |
| If you want to pay for your reports, here are the links
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Use a cross-cut shredder to destroy all
private paperwork before
discarding, including
| credit card receipts and bills |
| expired credit cards (cut into several pieces and discard in different
places or at different times) |
| cancelled checks (including old unused checks)
and deposit slips (including blanks) |
| bank and brokerage statements |
| "convenience" checks
(which become cash withdrawals from credit cards) |
|
pre-approved credit card offers
|
| anything that has your social security number or account number |
| prescription information from receipts and medication containers |
| when in doubt, shred it!
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Some
office machine disposables may contain sensitive information. For
instance, imaging film used in some fax machines contain complete negative
images of everything printed by that machine, and single-use typewriter
ribbons contain everything typed on that ribbon (although in reverse order
and not linked to any document.) Destroy such disposables (although
using a shredder may jam it.)
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If a monthly statement doesn't arrive on
time, contact the sender to find out why.
| it might have been rerouted by a thief,
or |
| it might have gotten lost in the mail, in
which case you'd be penalized for not paying on time.
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Don't
carry your social security card. If your wallet is stolen, you may
be a target of ID theft as well. Avoid carrying your social security
number if you can (although it may be included in your medical insurance or
other cards.)
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Only use ATMs operated by
financial institutions, not the local mini-mart or gas station
| Other ATMs might be operated by persons
whose only intent is obtaining credit card information.
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Opt-out
of receiving pre-approved credit mail at
https://www.optoutprescreen.com,
so a mail thief can't use one to obtain credit in your name.
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Only
use corded phones for confidential information.
Analog cordless and wireless phones can be easily overheard by anyone using a
shortwave radio. Digital cordless and wireless phones are more
secure (at this time.)
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If
you use a laptop computer, password-protect it. Otherwise if it's
stolen, the information can be used against you.
| When not using wireless networking, turn it off to prevent someone from
remotely using your machine.
|
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| Secure
your wireless network. Unsecured networks can be used by anyone in
the neighborhood, so secure it. WPA is better than WEP, but either is
better than nothing at all.
|
| Don't respond to "phishing" phone calls. "Phishing" is attempting to deceive you into
reveling secret information by pretending to be someone who already has the
information, e.g., posing as a bank calling in order to obtain your account
or social security numbers.
| Any call asking to "confirm"
your account or other information should be viewed with extreme distrust
―
no reputable institution would ask you to do so. If you think it might be true,
contact them by phone via a number previously provided by them, not a
number the caller provides |
| Any call suggesting your credit card has
been compromised should be handled in the same manner.
 | Example: you receive a call from
someone identifying himself as working for the security department of a
bank which issued a credit card to you. He asks if you've made
certain unusual purchases, and describes them; you didn't make them.
He states that in order to cancel the card and issue a replacement, you
must tell him the three-digit number on the back of your card.
What do you do?
| Realize that this is a phishing
scam! The thief already has your card number, and wants
your CVV number in order to
commit more fraud. |
| Therefore give him any three-digit
number other than the correct number to confuse him, then |
| Immediately call your card issuer (at
the number on your card or bill) and report the call. They'll
cancel the card and issue a new one.
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If
you use the Internet for ordering, banking, or any other business, read
Internet Safety. |
Preventing ID and Mail Theft
