PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THEFT

Theft can happen at any time....don't be a victim! Below are tips on how to avoid identity theft and purse snatching.(see below)

Avoid Identity Theft

• What Thieves Use: Phone Books, Driver Licenses, Pre-Approved Credit Offers Credit Cards/Receipts, Birth Certificates, Credit Reports, Personal Checks, Social Security Numbers
• Over 500,000 Americans become victims of identity theft annually, costing them and financial institutions approximately $750 million. Once victimized, it could take months or even years to clear one’s credit rating. Taking the following steps will help avoid identity theft, along with the aggravation and expense that follow.

How to Protect Yourself:

• Guard personal information. Shred old checks and receipts, bank and credit card statements, credit card applications, credit cards, insurance forms, and any other documents with personal or account information that you are discarding.
• Protect your mail. Use a locking mailbox. Deposit payments at the local post office or hand deliver them to a mail carrier.
• Never keep an ATM card and the PIN (Personal Identification Number) together.  Do not allow anyone to help you enter a PIN or conduct a transaction at an ATM.
• Never allow your credit card number to be recorded on a check.  Florida law prohibits this as a mandatory practice.  Carry only those credit cards that you actually need
• Protect your driver license and social security number.  Notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) and/or the Social Security Administration if either of these documents is lost or stolen.
• Review monthly bank and credit card statements carefully each month.  Report any suspicious activity on an account immediately.  Be aware of when you regularly receive your statements.  Contact the company if one is not received when expected.

What to do if Your Identity is Stolen:

• Notify your bank and/or credit card companies immediately.  Also notify the three credit bureaus (listed below), and the police.  Contact the creditor with whom your name has been fraudulently used.  Make them aware that you too are a victim of the fraudulent activity.
• Keep detailed records, including dates, times, and names of previous persons notified, and the results of the conversations. 
• Note any tracking or complaint number issued to your case. 
• Follow up all company notifications with written correspondence. 
• Keep copies of all correspondence. 
• Check current accounts for a recent change of address request. 
• Notify the Postal Inspector if you learn that an identity thief has filed a change of address form for your mail.

Contact the big 3 Credit Bureaus:

• Equifax
  (800) 525-6285 
  PO Box 74024
  Atlanta, GA  30374
• Experian
  (800) 301-7195
  PO Box 1017
  Allen, TX  75013
• Trans Union
  (800) 680-7289 
  PO BOX 390
  Springfield, PA  19064
• Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center, 202-326-3761 (http://www.ftc.gov)
• National Fraud Information Center Website: http://www.fraud.org

Avoid Purse Snatching

• When faced with any theft situation remember, your goal is to avoid being injured! There is nothing in your purse worth serious injury of death.
• Is it absolutely necessary to carry a purse at all times?  A wallet or credit card in a pocket would be less tempting.
• Carry only the amount of cash or credit cards that you need.
• Eliminate spare keys from purse.
• Carry purse or shoulder bag in front of you and close to your body.
• Avoid having your purse shoulder straps around your neck or looped around your wrist.
• Keep your purse on your lap when dining or at meetings.
• In the supermarket, do not leave your purse in the shopping cart. Remember: out-of-sight, out-of-mind, "out-of-purse". 
• Avoid displaying valuables such as jewelry or large sums of money.
• Zip or close purse securely to avoid purses pickpockets.
• Be aware of where you are and where you are going at all times.  Do not go into a potentially dangerous area or situation.
• Report suspicious people or suspicious cars.
• Throughout Florida, citizens are facing “follow-home strong-arm robberies”.  As you drive home day or night, look for potential danger before entering your driveway.  Walkways, doorways, and driveways should be well lit around your home.
• Do not enter your driveway if a suspicious vehicle has followed you.  Go to the nearest safe location (a gas station or an area where there are people) and call the police.
• If you are confronted in your driveway, remain in your locked car with the windows up and blow your horn.  The distance from your car to your front door is a “No Man's Land.” When attacked, if you are going to be knocked down, sit down.