Tips On How To Safeguard Your Good Name
- NEVER reveal your personal identifying information unless you know exactly with whom you are dealing.
- Read all your personal or business bills carefully. Call your creditors to dispute any charges you did not make or authorize.
- It is important to shred all your personal identifying information before throwing it into garbage or recycling bin.
- Pre-approved credit applications
- Credit card receipts
- Bills
- Other financial information
- Do not leave outgoing mail in your mailbox for collection. Instead, take your mail to the post office collection mailboxes.
- Report all lost or stolen credit cards immediately.
- Remove extra credit cards and ID’s from your wallet or purse. Cancel the ones you do not use and maintain a list of those you do.
- Keep track of all your financial paperwork and destroy it after it has been checked against your monthly statements.
- Memorize your social security number and bank passwords. Don’t record them on any card or keep lists in your wallet or purse.
- Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last digits of your social security number or the last digits of your telephone number as possible Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).
- Beware of mail or telephone solicitations disguised as promotions offering instant prices or awards. They may be designed solely to obtain your personal information or credit card numbers.
- If you have applied for a new credit card and it does not arrive in a timely manner, notify the credit issuer.
- Have your name, address, and phone number removed from many marketing lists by writing to:
- Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service
PO Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735 - Telephone Preference Service
PO Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735
- Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service
- Have your name removed from credit reporting agency lists to receive pre-approved credit offers by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (888-567-8688).
- Order your credit report from one of the three credit bureaus once a year to check for fraudulent activity or errors.