Protecting your Identity

Every 60 seconds, 19 people become identity theft victims.  That’s about 10 million people a year!  Identity theft is a frightening and overwhelming experience and the average victim can spend 30 – 40 hours rectifying the problem.  Despite your best efforts to manage the flow of your personal information, identity thieves find a variety of ingenious ways to access that information.  USA One strives to help you reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.

Here are some tips to protect yourself

• Secure your personal information- Be sure that all of your personal information including your social security card, birth certificate, passport and any important information is stored in a safe place, preferably in a locked box.
• Be aware of your surrounding- Be sure no one is listening to your conversation when you are giving personal information over the phone. 
• When using an ATM machine, cover the keypad with your hand when entering your PIN number.  You never know who’s watching.
• Do not store credit card numbers and other financial information on your cell phone.
• Keep your vehicle registration and insurance forms in a sealed envelope in your glove box and lock it and your car when at home or away.
• Use you own computer when conducting business online.  A public computer is less secure, as is wireless Internet.
• Keep system and browser software up to date and set to the highest security level you can tolerate.

The most important thing you can do to protect your identity is to check your credit report regularly.  Here are three ways to request your free credit report.

Online- visit http://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/order

By Phone- Call 1-877-322-8228

*You will go through a simple verification process over the phone

By Mail- Download the Request Form  mail it to

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

Your reports will be mailed to you within 15 days.  Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. 

If you suspect that you have been a victim of identity theft, place a fraud alert with the three major credit bureaus immediately.  Below are the numbers you should call to place a fraud alert.

Equifax 1-800-525-6285

Experian 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion 1-800-680-7289