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Prevent Identity Theft -- Safeguard Your Personal Information Prevent Identity Theft Brochure What is Identity Theft? Preventive Actions Internet & On-Line Services Where to get your Credit Report Action for Victims of Identity Theft Report Identity Theft
Prevent Abduction -- Safeguard Your Children
Prevent Abduction
What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft involves acquiring key pieces of someone's identifying information, such as name, address, date of birth, social security number, mother's maiden name in order to impersonate them. This information enables the identity thief to commit numerous forms of fraud which include, but are not limited to, taking over the victim's financial accounts, opening new bank accounts, purchasing automobiles, applying for loans, credit cards, and social security benefits, renting apartments, and establishing services with utility and phone companies.
The actions listed below are recommended by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office and the financial industry to help reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of identity theft. The last section provides names and phone numbers of the agencies referred to throughout this page. Back to Top
Preventive Actions
» Never give personal information over the telephone, such as your social security number, date of birth, mother's maiden name, credit card number, or bank PIN code, unless you initiated the phone call.
» Report all lost or stolen checks and credit cards immediately.
» Shred unwanted pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts, bills, and other financial information before discarding them in the trash or recycling bin.
» Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery.
» Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection mailboxes or at your local post office. Do not leave in unsecured mail receptacles.
» Order your credit report from the three credit bureaus once a year to check for fraudulent activity or other discrepancies.
» Never leave receipts at bank machines, bank counters, trash receptacles, or unattended gasoline pumps. Keep track of all your paperwork. When you no longer need it, destroy it. » Empty your wallet of extra credit cards and IDs, or better yet, cancel the ones you do not use and maintain a list of the ones you do.
» Memorize your social security number and all of your passwords. Do not record them on any cards or anything in your wallet or purse.
» Sign all new credit cards upon receipt.
» Save all credit card receipts and match them against your monthly bills.
» Be conscious of normal receipt of routine financial statements. Contact the sender if they are not received in the mail.
» Notify your credit card companies and financial institutions in advance of any change of address or phone number.
» Never loan your credit cards to anyone else.
» Never put your credit card or any other financial account number on a postcard or on the outside of an envelope.
» If you applied for a new credit card and it has not arrived in a timely manner, call the bank or credit card company involved.
» Closely monitor expiration dates on your credit cards. Contact the credit card issuer if replacement cards are not received prior to the expiration dates.
» Beware of mail or telephone solicitations disguised as promotions offering instant prizes or awards designed solely to obtain your personal information or credit card numbers. Back to Top
Internet & On-Line Services » Use caution when disclosing checking account numbers, credit card numbers, or other financial data at any Web site or online service location unless you received a secured authentication key from your provider.
» When you subscribe to an online service, you may be asked to give your credit card information. When you enter any interactive service site, beware of con artists who may ask you to "confirm" your enrollment service by disclosing passwords or the credit card account number used to subscribe. Don't give them out. Back to Top
Who to Contact for Copies of Your Credit Report
Equifax
P.O. Box 105873
Atlanta, GA 30348-5873
Telephone: 1-800-997-2493
www.equifax.com
Experian Information Solutions
P.O. Box 949
Allen, TX 75013-0949
Telephone: 1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
Telephone: 1-800-916-8800
www.tuc.com
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Prevent Abduction
In the United States, thousands of children are reported missing each year. There is nothing that devastates parents, friends, and a community more than child abduction or the attempted kidnapping of a child. Here are a few tips that we hope prevent this from happening to your family:
Parents:
- Know where your child is at all times.
- Never leave a young child alone at home or in a car.
- Make sure your child knows his or her full name, address and telephone number.
- Make sure your child knows where you work, and your contact information.
- Know your child's friends and where they live.
- Teach your child about strangers. Tell him or her to never talk, take candy, or go with a stranger without your consent.
- Make sure your child knows never to get into a stranger's car.
- Tell your child that if approached by a stranger, run and scream.
- Let your child know that no one has a right to touch any part of his or her body that a bathing suit would cover.
- Inform your child to report to you, a police officer or school authority, anyone that exposes his or her private parts to them.
- Report to the police immediately, if your child informs you that they were lured or assaulted by a stranger.
Children:
- Never go to a friend's home without informing your parents where you are going and when you will return.
- Never talk to strangers.
- Never take candy or gifts from strangers.
- Never wander off when with parents or in a group.
- Move away from a vehicle that pulls up next to you, if you do not know the driver.
- Scream and run away from any stranger that calls you to a vehicle or attempts to touch you.
- Be suspicious of any stranger asking for assistance (including directions).
- Try to remember what the stranger looks like, as well as the vehicle and license plate number.
- Immediately inform parents or police of any strangers that attempt to call you to a vehicle.
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