ID Theft:  When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name How identity thieves get our personal information: They steal wallets and purses containing your identification and credit and bank cards They steal your mail, including your bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks, and tax information They complete a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location They rummage through your trash, or the trash of businesses, for personal data in a practice known as "dumpster diving" They fraudulently obtain your credit report by posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who may have a legitimate need for, and legal right to, the information They find personal information in your home They use personal information you share on the Internet They scam you, often through e-mail, by posing as legitimate companies or government agencies you do business with They get your information from the workplace in a practice known as "business record theft" by: stealing files out of offices where you're a customer, employee, patient or student; bribing an employee who has access to your files; or "hacking" into electronic files How identity thieves use your personal information: They call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, ask to change the mailing address on your credit card account.  The imposter then runs up charges on your account.  Because your bills are being sent to the new address, it may take some time before you realize there's a problem They open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth and SSN.  When they use the credit card and don't pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report They establish a phone or wireless service in your name They open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account They file for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they have incurred under your name, or to avoid eviction They counterfeit checks or debit cards and drain your bank account They buy cars by taking out auto loans in your name They give your name to the police during an arrest.  If they're released from police custody, but don't show up for their court date, an arrest warrant is issued in your name What you can do today Order a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus.  Your credit report contains information on where you work and live, the credit accounts that have been opened in your name, how you pay your bills and whether you've been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy.  Make sure it's accurate and includes only those activities you've authorized.  By law, credit bureaus can charge you no more than $9 for a copy of your credit report.  See "Credit Reports", below, for details about removing fraudulent and inaccurate information from your credit report Place passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts.  Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.  When opening new accounts, you may find that many businesses still have a line on their application for your mother's maiden name.  Use a password instead Secure personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help or are having service work done in your home Ask about information security procedures in your workplace.  Find out who has access to your personal information and verity that records are kept in a secure location.  Ask about the disposal procedures for those records as well Equifax - www.equifax.com To order your report, call: 800-685-1111 To report fraud, call: 800-525-6285/ TDD 800-2255-0056 and write: PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 Experian - www.experian.com To order your report, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) To report fraud, call: call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)/TDD 800-972-0322 and write: PO Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion - www.transunion.com To order your report, call: 800-888-4213 To report fraud, call: 800-680-7289/ TDD 877-553-7803; fax 714-447-6034; e-mail: fvad@transunion.com or write: Fraud Victim Assistance Department, PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 96234-6790