Identity Fraud is one of the fastest growing criminal activities in the United States and few crimes have the same devastating and lasting effects. Anyone can become a victim of ID fraud and it can take years to fully recover, so it's vital that every citizen take proactive steps to prevent victimization.
These simple steps include:
*Make sure that you destroy old documents with identifying information such as addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, and account numbers. It is important that these items are either shredded or burned to ensure full destruction.
*To ensure that checks are not stolen, do not use your home mailbox to mail written checks to creditors; instead use the mailboxes at the post office.
*Forged and altered checks are seeing resurgence in recent years. To avoid this, make sure to fill out checks with a Sharpie style marker or a pen that uses Gel ink. This makes it more difficult to remove the information by washing the check.
*It is imperative that you balance and rectify your bank account on a regular and frequent basis so that any inconsistencies can be identified and reported.
*As a citizen of Georgia, residents are entitled to not just one, but two credit reports annually from each of the three credit reporting agencies. This is a total of six credit reports a year. Check your credit frequently to make sure that your personal information or credit has not been compromised by criminals. The reports can be obtained by contacting the individual credit reporting agencies.
*For more information and education, check out www.ftc.gov/idtheft
We have already seen 21 cases of fraud in Tyrone this year. The victims come from all walks of life and were victimized in various ways. We encourage you to be vigilant and contact us immediately if you suspect that you have become a victim.
