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Veterans Get Advice About ID Theft
Jason Lee Miller
Staff Writer
2006-05-25
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If you are a US veteran or know one affected by the recent theft of information on some 26.5 million people, it is important to be proactive to prevent identity theft. The information stolen is very valuable to shadier types looking to get a hold of your nest egg.
Case in point: a recent article detailing what are called "Yahoo! millionaires." The writer uses an example out of Nigeria where hacker rackets make a lot of money buying goods through the Internet and selling them on the black market.
From the article:
The scams perpetrated by Akin and his comrades are many and varied: moneygram interceptions, Western Union hijackings, check laundering, identity theft, and outright begging, with tall tales of dying relatives and large sums of money in search of safe haven. One popular online fraud often practiced by women (or boys pretending to be women) involves separating lonely men from their money.
The National Crime Prevention Council has issued a list of tips for ways veterans can protect them by going "on the offensive now."
· Notify your financial institutions (banks and credit card companies) that your information has been compromised. Ask them to alert you if they see strange spending patterns or large withdrawals of money.
· Contact the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, & TransUnion) to alert them. Ask how they can help you monitor your credit report for suspicious activity. You can contact them by the information below.
o Experian - 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com
o Equifax - 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com
o TransUnion - 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com
· Review your monthly credit card and bank statements carefully for unfamiliar transactions. Report any suspicious transactions immediately.
· Check your credit report. A new law entitles everyone to at least one free report a year.
· Do not respond to emails or phone calls asking you to verify your personal information. Legitimate businesses will never ask you to "verify" your account or personal information unless you initiate the communication.
· Report it immediately if you become a victim. Contact the credit bureaus and financial institutions. Close any account you think has been compromised.
· File a police report in case you need to provide proof of the crime, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at its website (www.consumer.gov/idtheft).
About the Author:
Jason is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He covers business, technology, and security issues.
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