With the holidays fast approaching you need to be more vigilant on protecting your identity by safeguarding your personal information and not falling prey to ever increasing scams. Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personal identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold.

Common methods of getting your information include:

• Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
• Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
• Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
• Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
• Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
• Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.

How to Protect Yourself

• Shred, Shred, Shred - Don't discard mail with personal information in the trash unless its unidentifiable, including medication bottles with your information affixed
• Don't give out any personal information over the telephone, or internet unless you initiated the contact and it is secure
• Don't put your Social Security Number on your checks or share with others
• Review your bank and credit card statements monthly
• Be wary of mail that request that you send personal information
• Check your Credit Report with the three credit reporting agencies to make sure that there are not any cards or transactions in your name of which you are not aware.
• You are allowed a free report yearly from each of the three agencies. Stagger your request so that you can review the information at least three times a year
• If it doesn't feel right, just don't Do It!

What to do and Who to Call if you feel you have been a victim of identity theft and have discovered that someone has fraudulently opened new accounts in your name

• Contact one of the three credit reporting agencies and ask for a fraud alert to be placed on your credit report. You only need to call one agency; it will automatically notify the other two agencies.
• http://www.equifax.com 1-800-525-6285
• http://www.experian.com 1-888 397-3742
• http://www.tuc.com 1-800-680-7289
• Report the crime to your local police
• Contact all of the financial institutions that issue your bank cards, credit cards and checking/savings accounts to ensure that there are no fraudulent charges on your accounts. Ask them to send you their company's fraud dispute form, which you will need to fill out, even if you speak to someone on the phone. You will also need to provide them with a copy of your police report.
• If your credit card is missing contact the financial institution that opened them and cancel them. If you don't know how to reach the financial institution, the credit bureaus should be able to provide that information to you.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which tracks incidents of identity theft. 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). Also, complete an ID Theft Affidavit at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
• For crimes involving your mail, contact your local post office. The number can be found by going to http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/ifvictim.htm or looking in the blue pages of your phone book under "United States Government, Postal Service."

What To Do If:

• If you have lost your social security card contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or online at http://www.ssa.gov,
• If your medical/insurance cards are missing contact your health insurance company
• If your driver's license or state-issued identification card is missing contact PennDOT at 1-800-932-4600 and also fill out a Misuse Form by going to: http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/identity_theft/dl_fraud.shtml
• If your Passport is missing contact the United States Department of State at 1-202-955-0430 or go to: http://travel.state.gov/passport/lost/us/us_848.html

How to Stop Receiving Unwanted Credit Offers in the Mail

• The Consumer Credit Reporting Industry OPTOUT Line. The toll free number is 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688).

Helpful Web Sites

• Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft//
• Pennsylvania http://www.identitytheftactionplan.com/
• PA Attorney General http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/idtheft.aspx?id=1757