ANDERSON, SC - Protecting yourself from identity crime starts with controlling and protecting your personal information, according to the City of Anderson Police Department. Your personal information can be found on mail, credit cards, identification, and on other documents. Identity thieves steal information a number ways. This is why it is critical that you:

Protect Your Personal Information

• Keep anything with personal or account information in a safe, secure place. Do not leave personal information in your car.

Cards & IDs

• Carry only necessary identification with you.
• Do not carry your Social Security card.
• Treat your credit cards and check (debit) cards like cash.
• Do not carry any personal identification numbers (PINs). Memorize them.

Paper copies & mail

• Make copies of all of the financial information that you carry with you daily and store the copies in a safe place.

Electronic data

• Retrieve incoming mail from your mailbox quickly, and do not leave outgoing mail, like bill payments with checks, in an unsecured mailbox or any other location.

Share Your Personal Information Prudently

Be cautious

• If you can not verify the identity of the person or business asking for your personal information, be very cautious about the transaction.
• If you do not understand why a certain piece of information is needed, think twice about the transaction.
• Be cautious of telephone and door-to-door solicitations.

Be skeptical

• Never provide personal or financial information unless you initiated the contact and you have confirmed the business or person's identity.
• Be skeptical of offers that seem "too good to be true." They usually are.

Be suspicious

• Provide sensitive personal information like Social Security Number or account numbers only to people or businesses you trust, and who have legitimate reasons to ask for it.
• Be very suspicious of e-mails requesting your personal information for "account verification" or other reasons. Almost no legitimate companies do this. Never click on a link within such an e-mail; if you want to go to a site, type the Web address into your Web browser yourself.

Eliminate Paper

Reduce the amount of mail you receive that displays personal information by:

• Not receiving account statements in the mail. Many financial institutions offer electronic delivery of statements and many companies will send your bill electronically as well. Check with your financial institution for details.
• Paying bills online also eliminates the security risk of mailing paper checks.
• Not having canceled checks mailed to you. Many financial institutions allow you to view canceled checks online.
• Signing up for direct deposit to have your paychecks, dividends, tax refunds, and other deposits sent directly to your account without the need for a paper check.
• Opting out of pre-approved credit card offers by calling 1-888-567-8688. This will communicate your preference to all three of the major credit bureaus.

Shred financial documents, including credit card and other financial solicitations, before recycling them or throwing them away.

Secure Your Computer

Software & applications

• Install anti-spyware, anti-virus, and a personal firewall on your computer. Update them regularly, especially virus and spyware definitions. Either schedule regular anti-virus and anti-spyware scans or make it a habit to do it manually.
• Update your operating system and browser regularly. Their makers identify potential security problems and issue "patches" to fix them.

Passwords & logins

• Choose pass codes and personal identification numbers (PINs) that are difficult for others to guess. If possible, use lowercase and capital letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Use a different passcode for each of your online accounts.
• Always log off from online sessions with your banking or bill payment provider or other sites where you interact with personal information.

Consistent monitoring

• Monitor your online accounts regularly.
• Be vigilant and suspicious in your online activities. Remember that forging e-mail and creating fraudulent websites is easy to do. If you are at all suspicious, leave the site immediately.

Review Your Financial Activities

• It seems simple, but an easy way to detect fraudulent activity is to check your account statements to be sure that all the transactions are legitimate.
• Check any mail from credit card companies to see if they contain statements from cards in your name that you did not apply for yourself.
• Know when your credit card and bank statements arrive in the mail and be alert if one or more stop showing up in your mailbox—this could mean your account has been taken over and diverted elsewhere.
• You should review your credit report at least annually to make sure there is no unauthorized activity.

Federal law requires the major nationwide consumer reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to give you a free copy of your credit report once a year if you ask for it. Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 to order your free credit reports each year. You also can write to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.