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Table of Contents What is Identity Theft? How Do Thieves Steal an Identity? What Do Thieves Do with Stolen Identities? What Can I Do To Avoid Identity Theft? What Should I Do If My Identity is Stolen? Chevron Federal Credit Union

What is Identity Theft? Identity theft is fraud perpetrated by a criminal who assumes someone else's identity in order to profit illegally. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (2012), identity theft: Is the fastest-growing crime in the U.S. In fact, over 16.6 million people over the age of 16 experienced identity theft in Had a total financial impact of $24.7 billion in Impacts about 19 people every minute. What’s more: Credit card fraud accounted for 64.1% of identity theft related crimes. And a full 32% of ID theft victims discovered that a family member, relative, or close friend was responsible for stealing their identity.

What is Identity Theft? There are 4 main types of identity theft: 1.Financial Using another's identity to obtain goods and/or services. 2. Criminal Posing as another when apprehended for a crime. 3.Identity Cloning Using another's information to assume his or her identity in daily life. 4. Business/Commercial Using another's business name to obtain credit. Chevron Federal Credit Union

Name Address Date of Birth City of Birth Social Security Number Driver’s License Number Mother’s Maiden Name Pets’ Names Internet Usernames and Passwords Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) User IDs for Online Access Debit/Credit Card Account Numbers Card Expiration Dates Security Codes Tax ID number High School Name Chevron Federal Credit Union What Types of Identity Do Thieves Commonly Try to Steal?

Chevron Federal Credit Union What Do Thieves Do with a Stolen Identity? Once thieves have your personal information, they may attempt to use it in 5 main ways, including: Credit card fraud Bank or financial fraud Phone or utility fraud Government document fraud Other fraud (employment, medical services, criminal)

Chevron Federal Credit Union How Do Thieves Steal an Identity? There are 6 main ways thieves steal an identity. These include: Dumpster diving Skimming Phishing Changing your mailing address Shoulder surfing Pretexting Let’s explore each in more detail...

How Do Thieves Steal An Identity? 1.Dumpster Diving: Thieves rummage through trash looking for bills or other documents with personal information on it. Play it Safe: Shred bank, credit card, and billing statements before throwing them away. Chevron Federal Credit Union

How Do Thieves Steal an Identity? (cont’d) 2. Skimming: Thieves may try to steal credit/debit card numbers used in a legitimate transaction. This is typically an “inside job” by a dishonest employee and may be as simple as photocopying receipts. Thieves use scanning devices at ATMs to read your card's magnetic strip, often in conjunction with a pinhole camera to read the PIN.

Chevron Federal Credit Union How Do Thieves Steal An Identity? 3. Phishing: In phishing schemes, thieves pretend to be financial institutions or companies you likely do business with and send spam or pop-up messages to trick you into revealing your personal information. Play it Safe: Never respond to inquires asking for passwords or billing information if you didn’t initiate the contact.

Chevron Federal Credit Union How Do Thieves Steal an Identity? 4. Changing your address: Using this technique, thieves divert your mail to another location by completing a change of address form or by contacting your credit card issuer. NOTE: As an added layer of protection against identity fraud, the USPS now sends a "Move Validation Letter" to both the old and new address when a change is filed.

Chevron Federal Credit Union How Do Thieves Steal an Identity? 5. Shoulder surfing: This is a technique in which thieves use direct observation techniques, such as looking over your shoulder, to steal personal information. Play it Safe: Cover the keypad when entering your PIN at an ATM, and always be observant of those around you.

Chevron Federal Credit Union How Do Thieves Steal an Identity? 6. Pretexting: In pretexting, thieves use false pretenses (that is, create an invented scenario) to persuade you, a financial institution, or a company to release information or perform an action.

Chevron Federal Credit Union What Can I Do To Avoid Becoming a Victim? Remember to S.C.A.M. SHRED unnecessary mail and documents and be stingy about giving out your information. CHECK that you are entering a secure site when on the Internet. ASK for a FREE copy of your credit report at annualcreditreport.com. MAINTAIN careful records of your banking and financial accounts.

Chevron Federal Credit Union What Should I Do If My Identity is Stolen? In the event that your identity is stolen, follow this step-by-step approach to recovering your identity: 1.Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and review your reports. 2.Request a freeze on your credit so it can only be accessed with your authorization or when you choose to remove the freeze. 3.Close the accounts that you believe may have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. 4.File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and print a copy of their ID Theft Complaint Form.ID Theft Complaint Form 5.File a police report where the identity theft took place.

Chevron Federal Credit Union What Should I Do if My Identity is Stolen? Initial Fraud Alert vs. Extended Fraud Alert: What’s the difference? An initial fraud alert stays on your report for at least 90 days. In addition, potential creditors will take extra measures to verify your identity. An extended fraud alert* stays on your report for 7 years. If an extended fraud alert is placed on your credit account: Potential creditors must actually contact you or meet with you in person before issuing credit. Credit reporting agencies will remove your name from marketing lists for prescreened credit offers for 5 years. * Note that you must first provide agencies with an Identity Theft Report before you can become eligible to place an extended fraud alert.

Chevron Federal Credit Union What Should I Do If My Identity is Stolen? ID Theft Complaint Form This form along with a police report will provide you with the following protections: Permanently blocks fraudulent information from appearing on your credit report. Ensures that debts do not reappear on your credit report. Prevents a company from continuing to collect debts that resulted from identity theft. Places an extended fraud alert on your credit report.

Chevron Federal Credit Union What Should I Do If My Identity is Stolen? Credit Freeze Potential creditors will only be able to access your credit if you temporarily lift the freeze or grant them access using an authorized pin code. Placing a credit freeze does not affect your score, or prevent you from getting a credit report.

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