Steps the FTC recommends you
should take if you’re a Victim of
Identity Theft
•C
ontact the three major credit bureaus listed on
the back panel. Ask them to place a fraud alert
on your credit report and have copies of your
report sent to you for review.
• Contact your local police department. Insist
that they file a report and give you a copy. You
will need it later to prove to creditors that a
crime was committed.
• Contact all creditors who have opened
fraudulent accounts in your name. Inform them
that the account was opened fraudulently. Ask
them to close it immediately and to send you
copies of the account application and any other
account transactions or documentation.
More Tips from the FTC:
• Document, Document, Document! Provide as
much documentation as you can to prove your
case (notarized Identity Theft Affidavit, debt
collection letters, etc.)
• Keep the originals of supporting documentation
(police reports, letters to and from creditors);
send copies only.
• Keep copies of all correspondence or forms you
send.
• Write down everything — the name of your
contact, what your contact told you, the date all
conversations took place.
• Follow-up in writing with all contacts you’ve
made, use certified mail with return receipt.
• Keep old files, even if your case has been closed.
Errors can reappear on your credit report or
your information can be recirculated.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
MAJOR CREDIT BUREAUS:
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Order a Credit Report: 1-800-685-1111
Report Fraud: 1-888-766-0008
www.equifax.com
Experian
P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX, 75013
Order a Credit Report: 1-888-EXPERIAN
(1-888-397-3742)
Report Fraud: 1-888-EXPERIAN
(1-888-397-3742)
www.experian.com
Trans Union
P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022
Order a Credit Report: 1-877-322-8228
Report Fraud: 1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com
Federal Trade Commission (FTC):
If you are a victim of Identity Theft, you should file
a complaint with the FTC by contacting the FTC’s
Identity Theft Hotline through the following:
By Phone:
Toll-free 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338)
TTY: 202-326-2502
By Mail:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Protecting
Your Identity
Washington, DC 20580
Online at:
http://www.ftc.gov (look for “ID Theft”)
Opt Out Hotline:
1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688)
Customer Service Center
1-760-243-2140
www.dcbk.org
Reprint: 10/2015
Member FDIC
IDENTITY THEFT IS THE FASTEST GROWING CRIME IN AMERICA. OVER 900,000
NEW VICTIMS ARE AFFECTED EVERY YEAR. HERE IS HOW IT CAN AFFECT YOU:
Precautions You can take NOW to
Protect your Identity:
How an identity thief can obtain your information:
What an identity thief can use your information for:
• Stealing your wallet, purse, or personal agenda
or Cell Phone.
• Stealing mail (incoming and outgoing) including credit
card and bank statements, bills, new checks, and
pre-approved credit offers.
• Completing a “change of address” form in your name to
divert your mail elsewhere.
• Going through your trash bins or bins belonging to
businesses.
• F raudulently obtaining your credit report by posing
as someone who may have a legal right to review it
(employer, landlord).
• Snooping through your home.
• F inding personal information you share online or by
hacking into your electronic files.
• Sending you scam mail presented as correspondence
from legitimate companies or government agencies.
• Commit “business record theft” by stealing files
belonging to offices you visit as a customer, employee,
student, or patient.
•T
hey call your credit card issuer, pretending to be you,
and request a change of address form. After stealing
it out of your mailbox and returning it, they run of
charges on your account, which will take you awhile to
figure it out.
•T
hey open up new lines of credit in your name, using
your date of birth and Social Security Number (SSN).
Any delinquent accounts are filed under your SSN on
your credit report.
•T
hey establish phone or wireless service in your name
and use it freely.
•T
hey open a bank account in your name and write bad
checks against it.
•T
hey file bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying
debts they’ve incurred under your name or to avoid
eviction.
•T
hey counterfeit checks or debit cards, and drain your
bank accounts.
•T
hey buy cars by taking out auto loans in your name
(done easily online).
•T
hey give your name to police during an arrest; if
released from police custody, and this identity thief
does not show up for their court date, the warrant for
arrest is issued in your name.
1. C
all the Opt Out number listed on the reverse side of
this brochure to take your name off mailing lists for
financial solicitations, including pre-approved credit
offers.
Things you should NEVER, NEVER Do:
1. N
ever share personal information with anyone, including friends and relatives.
2. Never share financial information with anyone over the phone or in person (unless you initiate the call to a reputable
company or advisor).
3. N
ever carry financial documents, credit cards you don’t use, birth certificates, Social Security Number (SSN) with you
unless absolutely necessary.
4. N
ever leave your financial information such as credit cards or personal checks in plain view of others.
5. Never place personal, or financial information in your agenda or Cell Phone.
6. N
ever imprint your SSN or Driver’s License number on your checks.
7. Never mail checks from or receive bills to your mailbox at home (unless it is a locked box). Use a post office drop box
when mailing checks, or sign up for online banking.
2. Study your bills carefully and question any
suspicious charges immediately.
3. I f you haven’t already, purchase a shredder. Use it
to destroy credit card receipts, bills and any other
financial material that could get into the wrong
hands. Properly dispose of financial information,
including financial solicitations that arrive by mail.
4. S
ign your name on the back of your credit cards and
debit cards in the blank provided for the Authorized
Signature.
5. M
emorize your PINs; do not write PINs on the card
or carry them in your wallet. Do not share your PINs
with anyone.
6. D
estroy credit cards you no longer use by cutting
the black strip on the back and destroying areas
displaying your name, credit card number and
expiration date.
7. Periodically check your credit report. Report any
discrepancies immediately to the FTC and credit
reporting agencies listed on the reverse side of this
brochure.
8. W
hen reordering checks, pick them up directly from
your bank; do not have them mailed to your home.
9. R
eport lost or stolen credit cards and checks to the
issuer immediately.
10. D
o not give out personal information on the phone,
through the mail, or the Internet, unless you initiate
the contact or are sure you know with whom you are
dealing.
Best Hometown Bank