thieves from stealing your good name and ruining your credit.

For a fantastic, short, online video lesson, you will learn to to guard against online fraud, credit abuse, identity theft, and how to totally protect you, your family and you computer.

Click the link below.

Don't Be an On-line Victim: How to Guard Against Internet Thieves and Electronic Scams

After you watch the video, you can review by reading the following list:

What can you, as a consumer who must buy things via credit, do?

You must have ID  for applying for a job, boarding an airplane and so many other necessary and everyday activities.

Here are some steps to help guard and protect your personal information:

• Do your best to minimize the amount of your personal information gets out "there" to be viewed and copied or simply stolen from your person. 

• NEVER put your social security number on any document not required by the federal, state, and local agencies. Believe it or not- do not carry your social security card with you. ALWAYS shred unwanted credit offers Shred old checks,account statements and other papers with personal data Receive and send mail only from safe and secure mail boxes and agencies Check your credit at least once a year and look for suspicious activity Keep a look out for your for your monthly bills, making sure they arrive around the same time each month. (They could have been stolen, opened and re-sealed and re-directed back to you). Check and audit your bills each month and verify all charges. Close out and shut down unused credit card accounts where you would typically not notice bogus charges.

• NEVER respond to emails that appear to be from your bank, credit union, or store. Instead, if you receive an email call the number on back of your credit card or on your bank statement to verify if someone is actually trying to contact you.

   

Unfortunately and sadly, most victims of identity theft find out too late (and the hard way) that their identity has been hijacked by some unknown thief.

They are shocked that their request for a home loan, auto loan or credit card purchase has been denied due to goods purchased and payments never made.

This crime is running amok in our society and growing more numerous and more devastating by the minute.

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Important Government Links

Government Links adout Identity Theft and other threats and how to combat them.

IdentityTheft

OnGuardOnline.gov

ftc.gov/spyware

ftc.gov/onlineshopping

ftc.gov/spam

ftc.gov/kidzprivacy