Fraud Prevention and Security Resources
Fraud, scams, and identity theft can happen to anyone, at any time. To help protect yourself, use the security tools and resources available to you, and notify us immediately if you notice suspicious activity or unauthorized charges. The more proactive you are in protecting your personal and financial information, the more difficult it becomes for criminals to take advantage of you.
Identity Theft Resources
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WHAT IS IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft is a serious crime. It can disrupt your finances, credit history, and reputation and take time, money, and patience to resolve. Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permission.
IDENTITY THIEVES MIGHT:
Go through trash cans and dumpsters, stealing bills and documents that have sensitive information
Work for businesses, medical offices, or government agencies, and steal personal information on the job.
Misuse the name of a legitimate business, and call or send emails that trick you into revealing personal information.
Pretend to offer a job, a loan, or an apartment and ask you to send personal information to “qualify.”
Steal your wallet, purse, backpack, or mail, and remove your credit cards, driver’s license, passport, health insurance card, and other items that show personal information.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
Read your credit reports. You have a right to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. Order all three reports simultaneously, or order one every four months. To order, go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.
Read your credit union, credit card, and other account statements and the explanation of medical benefits from your health plan. Contact the business if a statement has mistakes or doesn’t come on time.
Shred all documents that show personal, financial, and medical information before you throw them away.
Don’t respond to emails, texts, or phone messages asking for personal information. Legitimate companies don’t ask for information this way. Delete the messages.
Create passwords that mix letters, numbers, and special characters. Don’t use the same password for more than one account.
If you shop or bank online, use websites that protect your financial information with encryption. An encrypted site has “https” at the beginning of the web address; “s” is for secure.
If you use a public wireless network, don’t send information to any website that isn’t fully encrypted.
Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a firewall on your computer.
Set your computer’s operating system, web browser, and security system to update automatically.
IF YOUR IDENTITY IS STOLEN
CONTACT US immediately at 330-364-8874
FLAG YOUR CREDIT REPORT. Call one of the nationwide credit reporting companies and ask for a fraud alert on your credit report. The company you call must contact the other two so they can put fraud alerts on your files. An initial fraud alert is good for 90 days.
ORDER YOUR CREDIT REPORTS. Each company’s credit report about you is slightly different, so order a report from each company. When you call, you must answer some questions to prove your identity. Read your reports carefully to see if the information is correct. Contact the credit reporting company if you see mistakes or signs of fraud.
Equifax 1‑800‑525‑6285
Experian 1‑888‑397‑3742
TransUnion 1‑800‑680‑7289
CREATE AN IDENTITY THEFT REPORT. An Identity Theft Report can help you remove fraudulent information from your credit report, stop a company from collecting debts caused by identity theft, and get information about accounts a thief opened in your name.
TO CREATE AN IDENTITY THEFT REPORT:
File a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint or 1-877-438-4338; TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Your completed complaint is called an FTC Affidavit.
Take your FTC Affidavit to your local police, or to the police where the theft occurred, and file a police report. Get a copy of the police report.
The two documents above comprise an Identity Theft Report.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & PREVENTION.
- Visit https://www.identitytheft.gov/ for additional steps and information.
- For more tips on secure online practices, please visit http://www.onguardonline.gov.
- Learn to protect yourself from fraud by using safe practices with our Fraud and Security resource collection through our Wellness Library by clicking here.
- Senior citizens are the most targeted demographic for fraud and scams. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones by clicking here.
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