As the holidays approach, it will become even more important to be vigilant with your money and privacy matters. The holiday’s while filled with hustle and bustle, fun and family, is the perfect time for criminals to take advantage of unexpecting, unprepared and distracted individuals. Here are a few safety reminders from My Credit Union.gov to help you get through the holidays and the rest of the year for that matter.
Steps to Protect Your Privacy
Do not share personal information, such as account numbers or social security numbers, over the telephone, through the mail, or over the Internet, unless you initiated the contact or know with whom you are dealing.
Store personal information in a safe place and tear up old credit card receipts, ATM receipts, old account statements, and unused credit card offers before throwing them away.
Protect your PINs and other passwords. Avoid using easily available information such as your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number, your phone number, as identity thieves can use this information to access your accounts.
Carry only the minimum amount of identifying information and number of credit cards that you need.
Pay attention to billing cycles and statements. Contact the credit union if you do not receive a monthly bill. It may mean that the bill has been diverted by an identity thief.
Check account statements carefully to ensure all charges, share drafts, or withdrawals you authorized.
Guard your mail from theft. If you have the type of mailbox with a flag to signal that the box contains mail, do not leave bill payment envelopes in your mailbox with the flag up. Instead, deposit them in a post office collection box or at the local post office. Promptly remove incoming mail.
Consumers are entitled to one free credit report from each credit reporting bureau annually. Click here to learn more.
If you prefer not to receive pre-approved offers of credit, you can opt out of such offers by calling:
(888) 5-OPT-OUT. (888-567-8688)
If you want to remove your name from many national direct mail lists, send your name and address to:
DMA Mail Preference Service P.O. Box 9008 Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
Source: My Credit Union.gov
http://www.mycreditunion.gov/Protect/pages/prevent-identity-theft.aspx