How to protect your identity and what to do if you become a theft victim:
If you are a victim
• Contact local police to file a report.
• The Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit agency in San Diego, offers free victim assistance at 888-400-5530 or online at www.idtheftcenter.org.
• The Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Identity Theft Unit can assist consumers after becoming ID theft victims by helping them straighten out accounts. The office provides a self-help assistance guide. A police report must be filed. Call 800-282-0515 or go online to www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov.
• It will take time to clean up your credit accounts, possibly even years. But ID theft victims typically are not financially responsible for the charges. There can be inconveniences until consumers get their money back if thieves are able to take money from a bank account.
To protect yourself
• Freeze your credit. This does not allow anyone, including yourself, to access new credit in your name. According to Ohio state law, credit freezes cost $5 per person to place and $5 to lift temporarily. Victims can get the freeze for free, with a police report. Go online to www.equifax.com, www.experian.com and www.transunion.com.
• Check your credit. Every consumer is entitled to one free copy of his or her credit report from each of the credit bureaus once a year. To get your free report, go to www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228. You will have to enter your Social Security number to verify your identity. Be careful of other offers of “free” reports — you are most likely signing up for a service. If you feel you are the victim of ID theft, you can get a free report directly from the credit bureaus by going to their websites.
• Some insurance companies offer ID theft protection that is already included in your homeowner’s premium.
Other tips
• Guard your personal information. Carry only the number of credit cards you need for a specific outing. Keep your Social Security card at home. Ask doctors, businesses and other organizations not to identity you by your Social Security number. While Medicare cards do use a Social Security number, they should not be carried daily. An emergency department cannot deny you service if you aren’t carrying the card.
• Don’t give out personal information unless you initiate the contact and trust the individual or organization.
• Review medical, bank and credit-card statements to look for discrepancies.
• If personal information is lost or stolen, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re a victim of ID theft.
Compiled by Betty Lin-Fisher