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Every day you share personal information
about yourself with others. It's so routine that you may not even realize
you're doing it. You may write a check at the grocery store, charge
tickets to a ball game, rent a car, mail your tax returns, buy a gift
online, call home on your cell phone, schedule a doctor's appointment or
apply for a credit card. Each transaction requires you to share personal
information: your bank and credit card account numbers; your income; your
Social Security number (SSN); or your name, address and phone numbers.
It's important to find out what happens to
the personal information you and your children provide to companies,
marketers and government agencies. These organizations may use your
information simply to process your order; to tell you about products,
services, or promotions; or to share with others.
And then there are unscrupulous
individuals, like identity thieves, who want your information to commit
fraud. Identity theft - the fastest-growing white-collar crime in America
- occurs when someone steals your personal identifying information, like
your SSN, birth date or mother's maiden name, to open new charge accounts,
order merchandise or borrow money. Consumers targeted by identity thieves
usually don't know they've been victimized. But when the fraudsters fail
to pay the bills or repay the loans, collection agencies begin pursuing
the consumers to cover debts and consolidate bills they didn't even know they had.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
encourages you to make sure your transactions - online and off - are
secure and your personal information is protected. The FTC offers these
tips to help you manage your personal information wisely, and to help
minimize its misuse.
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Before you reveal any personally
identifying information, find out how it will be used and whether it
will be shared with others. Ask about company's privacy policy: Will
you have a choice about the use of your information; can you choose to
have it kept confidential?
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Read the privacy policy on any website
directed to children. Websites directed to children or that knowingly
collect information from kids under 13 must post a notice of their
information collection practices.
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Put 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 obvious choices like a series of
consecutive numbers or your hometown football team.
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Minimize the identification information
and the number of cards you carry to what you'll actually need. Don't
put all your identifying information in one holder in your purse,
briefcase or backpack.
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Keep items with personal information in
a safe place. When you discard receipts, copies of credit
applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and
statements, expired charge cards, credit offers you get in the mail
and mailing labels from magazines, tear or shred them. That will help
thwart any identity thief who may pick through your trash or recycling
bins to capture your personal information.
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Consider ordering a copy of your credit
report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs)
every year. Make sure it's accurate and includes only those activities
you've authorized. CRAs can't charge you more than $9.00
for a copy and in some states, your credit report is free.
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Use a secure browser when shopping
online to guard the security of your transactions. When submitting
your purchase information, look for the "lock" icon on the
browser's status bar to be sure your information is secure during
transmission.
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