Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer

OptOutPreScreen and Identity Theft

I am sick of receiving unsolicited snail mail offering me credit lines I do not need or want. Thankfully, the Consumer Credit Reporting agency has an official website (and phone number if you prefer) to request to be removed for 5 years or permanently from these mailing lists maintained by Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion. The website is www.optoutprescreen.com.

No, I didn’t get an unsolicited email about this! With the prevalent phishing schemes going around, it is very unwise to click any link on an unsolicited email message. One of the financial institutions I bank with actually sent me the information with my recent bill. Other banks like BankofthePacific include a link and the listed phone number of this service also on their main website, which further validates this as a legitimate service. The same BankofthePacific website offers the following 12 suggestions for preventing identity theft, which are excellent:

1. Check bank and credit card statements each month for suspcious activity.

2. Thoroughly review your credit report at least once a year. You may request a free annual copy from www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.

3. Remove your name from mailing lists for “pre-approved” credit cards that often come with blank checks. Call 1-888-567-8688 or visit www.optoutprescreen.com.

4. Don’t give your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, birth date or account numbers to strangers who contact you by phone, Internet or mail. Legitimate financial or government organizations that do business with you already have this information and won’t call to ask for it.

5. Don’t leave outgoing mail in your mailbox; take it to a collection box or post office. Promptly remove delivered mail. Consider purchasing a locking mailbox. If you plan to be away, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a vacation hold.

6. Invest in a shredder, preferably one that slices in two directions, and destroy all sensitive information – charge receipts, insurance forms, physician bills, bank statements, expired charge cards, checks, and credit offers.

7. Put passwords on your credit, bank and phone accounts.

8. Don’t carry your Social Security card or other ID and credit cards you don’t regularly use. Store them in a secure place.

9. Pay attention to when your bills arrive. If they don’t arrive on time, call the creditor to make sure a thief hasn’t changed your billing address.

10. Keep a copy of the front and back of all credit cards in a secure location. In the event you do lose one or become a victim of fraud, you will have the relevant information to close your account.

11. Update your computer’s virus protection software and use a firewall to limit hackers’ access. Remove all spyware from your computer.

12. Guard online transactions. Use a secure browser that encrypts information you send. Look for the “lock” icon on the status bar and a Web address that begins with “https:” instead of the standard “http:”

I would add the suggestions “Use a Macintosh or Linux OS computer instead of a security-risk-prone Windows OS machine to further limit your security risks. Never use a public wireless access point to login unsecurely to any website (including your email) unless you first establish a secure VPN connection to your place of employment, home VPN, or a VPN service like HotSpotVPN.”

The US Federal Trade Commission’s website on identity theft is also a good source for both preventative measures and guidance on what to do if you suspect your identity may have been stolen.

If you enjoyed this post and found it useful, subscribe to Wes’ free newsletter. Check out Wes’ video tutorial library, “Playing with Media.” Information about more ways to learn with Dr. Wesley Fryer are available on wesfryer.com/after.

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