::  Point of View  ::

It seems that the more we turn on our televisions and radios, the more we hear about mass credit card information being stolen, internet scams to steal our personal information, phone scams that target senior citizens and stories about years of personal devastation following identity theft. Despite all the information about identity theft, many people are not aware of how they can substantially reduce the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft by taking these five precautionary actions: 

1. Secure your mail and trash. Thwart an identity thief who may pick through your mail by calling and opting-out of pre-screened credit card offers at 1-888-5-OPTOUT. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a vacation hold. Thoroughly shred or tear any documents with your personal information before throwing them away.

2. Don't carry your SSN card; leave it in a secure place. Also, give out your SS number only when necessary. Offer alternative identification whenever possible.

3. Place strong unique passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts and change them every couple of months. A strong password generally means including at least 8 characters, one capital letter, and one number in each password. Also, avoid using the word ‘password’, your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SS number, your address, or a series of consecutive numbers.

4. Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks. Also, always read your bills carefully and cancel unused accounts.

5. Be wary of promotional scams that ask for personal information. Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know who you're dealing with. Identity thieves may pose as representatives of banks, Internet service providers and even government agencies to get you to reveal your SSN, mother's maiden name, account numbers and other identifying information. 

If you think your identity has been stolen, the Federal Trade Commission recommends that you immediately take the following steps:

1. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts. Once the alert is placed, you may order a free copy of your credit report from all three major credit bureaus.

2. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. 

3. File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime. 

4. File your complaint with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps the FTC learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so that they can better assist consumers.

Once you’ve taken steps to protect yourself from identity theft, don’t forget to encourage the ones you love to do the same. To learn more about what you can do to stop identity theft please visit my consumer resources website at www.house.gov/forbes.

::  Happenings on the Hill  ::

Mark Lunsford, the father of a 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who was kidnapped and murdered by a sexual offender in Florida visits Randy in Washington, DC to discuss tougher sex offender legislation. To learn more about what you can do to protect your children or children like Jessica Lunsford by visiting www.missingkids.org.