Security Tips
- Be suspicious if someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for your personal information. Most legitimate companies and agencies do not operate that way.
- Do not click on links in e-mails that ask you to provide personal information. To check whether an e-mail or call is really from the company or agency, call the company directly or go to its web site (use a search engine to find it).
- Do not provide personal information (such as your Social Security number, account numbers, PINs, passwords, etc.) via phone, e-mail or otherwise unless you initiated the contact with a trusted partner.
- If someone contacts you via phone or e-mail and says you've been a victim of fraud, verify the person's identity and contact the organization directly before you provide any personal information.
- If you manage any of your financial accounts online, choose passwords that are difficult for others to guess and use a different password for each of your online accounts. Change the password frequently.
- Make sure the web sites on which you transact business post privacy and security statements. Be sure to review them carefully.
- Do not send sensitive personal or financial information through the Internet unless it is encrypted on a secure web site. Regular e-mails are not encrypted. Look for the padlock symbol on the bottom bar of the browser to ensure that the site is running in secure mode before you enter sensitive information.
- Check your monthly statements to verify all transactions.
- Check your credit report twice a year and examine it thoroughly. This procedure will reveal accounts that have been opened without your knowledge.
- Add a statement to your credit file that prohibits the granting of credit without calling you to confirm the application.
- Record the names, account numbers, and customer service numbers of all the cards you carry to ensure that you have all the necessary information you need if you have to cancel your cards immediately.
- Make it difficult for thieves to get identifying information from your mail and mailbox. Take envelopes containing checks and other sensitive information directly to the post office instead of leaving them in your mailbox.
- Shred or secure in a lockbox all documents with important identifying information on them, such as bank statements, credit card statements, pre-approved credit card offers and pay stubs.
- Carry only the credit card you would use in an emergency. Do not carry your Social Security card.
- Update your personal computer with security patches and install anti-virus software.
