Terms of Use: All that a thief needs to steal an identity is your name, address, social security number, and date of birth . This information is easily obtained from driver's licenses and/or checking accounts. To protect your identity, follow these tips: Minimize information in phone books: A great deal of personal information is listed in telephone or organization directories. Consider an unlisted phone number. If you list, give only your name and phone number. Do not list your addre  More...

Terms of Use: Credit and charge card fraud costs cardholders and issuers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. While theft is the most obvious form of fraud, it can occur in other ways. For example, someone may use your card number without your knowledge. It's not always possible to prevent credit or charge card fraud from happening. But there are a few steps you can take to make it more difficult for a crook to capture your card or card numbers and minimize the possibility. Guarding Ag  More...

Terms of Use Fraudulent E-Mails and Phishing There is a rapidly growing Internet fraud called “phishing.” Phishing (pronounced fishing ) is a slang IT term which refers to fishing for personal information such as account numbers, passwords, PINs, credit card account or Social Security numbers online. Phishing is fast becoming one of the most insidious online identity theft scams where fraudulent email messages (spam) are sent to unsuspecting victims' email addresses requesti  More...

Terms of Use: Don't have your Social Security or driver's license number imprinted on your checks. These numbers, combined with other information on your checks (your name, address, account number, telephone number) could supply a thief with enough details to apply for a loan, credit card, or a phony bank account in your name. Notify your credit union or bank if you ordered checks and haven't received them in a reasonable time period, or if some checks are missing. These could be signs the c  More...

Terms of Use The Facts on Identity Theft Identity theft occurs when someone uses your bank account number, Social Security number, credit card, or other personal information for his or her own purposes like opening an account, making purchases, applying for a loan, or getting a tax refund. It can be months before the theft has been discovered. How does it happens? They steal your wallet and purse containing your identification and credit and bank cards. They steal your mail, including your bank  More...

Terms of Use: Related to phishing , another type of fraud called “vishing” has emerged that uses Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Instead of being directed by e-mail to a Web site, a fraudulent e-mail message (spam) asks the user to make a telephone call. The unsuspecting caller dials into a voice response system that asks for the user's credit card number. The system is disguised to appear like a legitimate financial institution or credit card company. In addition to emai  More...

Terms of Use What to do if you fear you've fallen victim to identity theft: Assume that you will become a victim of credit card fraud, bank fraud, or identity theft if you've given up personal financial information in response to a phishing email or on a phishing website. Depending on the information you provided, follow these steps: If you've given out your credit, debit or ATM card info: Report the theft of your personal information to the card issuer as quickly as possible.   More...

Terms of Use: Your computer probably contains a significant amount of sensitive information about you that if used by the wrong person could cost you a lot of time and money. Follow the 10 steps below to protect yourself: Update your system's operating system and Web Browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome, etc.) frequently . Keeping this system software updated with all the latest patches will dramatically reduce the potential that your computer can be accessed by an unauthorized user, also called hac  More...

Terms of Use: With the recent number of high-profile security breaches, there is a growing concern that thieves have never had easier access to our personal information than they do today. To protect your credit card information when making purchases online, MasterCard and VISA have developed extra security measures to give you more peace of mind. MasterCard SecureCode is a service from MasterCard that provides added security when you shop online and use your MasterCard. SecureCode protects y  More...

Terms of Use: Fraudulent Text Messages and Smishing A rapidly growing fraud called “smishing” is hitting cell phone and other mobile device users. Think of it as mobile spam that is attempting to trick you into revealing personal information. Smishing is a slang IT term which refers to phishing via mobile phone SMS messaging (the protocol used to transmit text messages via cellular devices). Like phishing, criminals are seeking your personal information such as account numbers, pa  More...