OPSEC BULLETIN: Follow up to Identity "Theft"

This article is a compilation of two articles written by Mike Kane, U.S. Secret Service. Originally, this notice was a Microsoft® Word document circulated via email, however to ensure that more people will be able to get this important information this page was created. Unlike the email message, this page includes consumer information links, which the reader should find helpful.

In a small town, somewhere in the USA, an unsuspecting woman inadvertently throws out a pre-approved credit card application she received in the mail. At the local landfill, a man who routinely watches and waits for such an occurrence captures enough information to "steal her identity." Only later, when the woman receives harassing phone calls threatening to foreclose on her car, home, and livelihood due to bills in excess of $300,000, will she begin to realize the full extent of this theft.

Identity theft is quickly becoming more common in our computerized information society. It is easier than ever to steal your personal information and ultimately destroy your financial stability. Identity theft may not bankrupt you, but it will sure mess up your life! More than 400,000 reported cases of identity theft occur annually. Identity thieves now have an easier task since businesses have started making your Social Security Number (SSN) an open book. Currently, there is no law against private use of your SSN and some businesses, including the medical profession, refuse to provide service unless you supply them with your SSN. It should be noted that since January 1999, it is now illegal to steal a person's identity. However, that doesn't mean that all local jurisdictions are cracking down.

All is not lost. There are some steps that will continue to help protect your identity.

1. Clean out your purse or wallet of anything that you don't need or use (old credit cards, SSN card, passport, birth certificate, etc).
2. Reduce the amount of junk mail and unwanted telemarketing calls by writing to the following:
• For unwanted junk mail, contact the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA’s) Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008 and request that your name along with your home address be removed from all mailing lists.



• For unwanted telemarketing (phone) solicitation, contact the DMA’s Telephone Preference Service, P.O. Box 9014, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014 and request that your name be removed from their direct telemarketing list. Also, be aware that, when dialing an 800, 888, or 900 number, your name, address, and telephone number will probably be captured by the company you dial. Dialing *67 before any call should, in most states, conceal your identifiers.

Note: These two DMA exemption requests must be filed separately and are only good for five years, at which time you will have to make another removal request. The DMA only accepts written requests; however, a general information number for DMA is (212) 768-7277.
3. Release your Social Security Number (SSN) only when absolutely necessary because it is the key to your credit and banking accounts. Do not have your SSN printed on your checks. If your state uses your SSN as your driver’s license number (e.g., Virginia), apply to have it changed.
4. Never use your SSN, birth date, address or other obvious name or number as your password. Use words/numbers that can not be found looking through your wallet/purse.
5. Check your credit report yearly by calling and ordering your report from each of three credit bureaus in order to ensure no irregular or unauthorized activity has occurred.
• Equifax Credit Reporting Bureau, P.O. Box 740250, Atlanta, GA 30374. To order a copy of your credit report, call (800) 685-1111, and to remove your name from receiving pre-approved credit offers and marketing lists, call (800) 567-8688 or write to the above address.



• Experían Credit Reporting Bureau (Formerly, TRW), P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX 75013. To order a copy of your credit report, call (888) 397-3742, and to remove your name from receiving pre-approved credit offers, call (800) 353-0809 or write to the above address.



• Trans Union, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634. To order a copy of your credit report, call (800) 916-8800, and to remove your name from receiving pre-approved credit offers and marketing lists, call (800) 680-7293.
6. If you know or suspect that your credit has been compromised immediately notify the fraud division of each of the three credit bureaus. Follow up with a written statement and request that you be personally contacted to verify future credit requests. Notify the local police and obtain a police report because you will need to send it to your creditors.
7. Shred any pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts, bills, and other financial information that you don’t want before tossing them into the trash.
8. Reduce the number of credit cards you actively use and cancel all unused accounts. Keep a list/photocopy of all your credit card information, and if fraudulent charges appear on one of your accounts, call the Consumer Credit Counseling Service at (800) 388-2227 for help in clearing false claims from your credit report.

• Better Business Bureau
• National Better Business Bureau - information on national charities
• Bureau of the Public Debt
• Consumer Scan Alert Network
• Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Consumer Assistance Site
• Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Mail Preference Service
• Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Telephone Preference Service
• Equifax Consumer Services - credit reporting agency
• Experían - Ordering a Consumer Credit Report - credit reporting agency
• Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Credit Practices
• National Charities Information Bureau
• National Fraud Information Center
• NASD Regulation Public Disclosure Program - information about your broker
• Office of the Florida Attorney General - protect yourself from consumer fraud
• The Software & Information Industry Association - White Paper: Internet Identity Theft: A Tragedy for Victims
• Transunion - credit reporting agency
• US Consumer Information Center
• US Postal Inspection Service
• US Securities and Exchange Commission
• Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs