How to Protect Your Identity

How to Protect Your Identity
By Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

7/22/2005

Identity theft is a problem that every consumer should be guarding against. Did you use a credit card recently? Did you subscribe to cable television? Did you reveal your Social Security number to someone? If so, you are susceptible to identity theft.

Identity theft is when your personal information is stolen and used for financial transactions that you are not aware of but could end up paying for. Your personal information can be obtained by stealing your wallet or purse or even rummaging through your trash. Thieves have even been known to use devices to steal your ATM card information.

You can guard against identity theft, but like all crimes there is no 100% protection. Be sure to safeguard all of your credit cards and bank accounts with a password. Tear or shred charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, or bank statements. And never give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless youve initiated the contact or are sure you know who youre dealing with.

The best way to check if you have been the victim of identity theft is through your credit report. As a result of a law passed by Congress that I supported, beginning on September 1, 2005 West Virginians are eligible to receive one free copy of their credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies: Equifax, Experion, and TransUnion.

You can order all three reports at once to compare your statements or spread them out over the year so you can monitor any changes or new information that may appear.

Beginning September 1, 2005 you can call 1-877-322-8228 to request your credit reports by phone. You will go through a simple verification process over the phone before your reports are mailed to you.

http://capito.house.gov/press_office/detail-page.aspx?id=29&whichone=column