How to prevent ID theft

• Review your credit report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the three major nationwide consumer-reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.

To order your free annual report from one or all of the national consumer reporting companies:

Visit www.annualcreditreport.com

Call toll-free: 1-877-322-8228

Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form (print form) and mail it to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service

P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348

• Never give out personal information or financial information over the phone or in an email.
• Beware of phone calls from people pretending to be your credit union, insurance company or doctor’s office asking for your information.
• Tell your financial institution if you receive any suspicious emails or phone calls from identity theft criminals trying to impersonate these companies.
• Never keep your debit or ATM PIN number in your purse or wallet.
• Don’t carry social security number cards and remove your social security number from your driver’s license and checks.
• Carry only the debit or credit cards you absolutely need with you.
• Don’t throw away financial paperwork such as bank or credit card statements without shredding them first.
• Limit what goes in and out of your mailbox by signing up for eStatement and Call Federal’s Home Banking.
• Don’t place outgoing mail in a personal mailbox with the red flag up. Instead, drop it off at a local post office or USPS collection box.
• Before leaving for vacation, place a vacation hold on your mail free of charge at usps.com or by calling at 800-275-8777.
• Opt out of receiving offers of credit in the mail by calling 1-888-567-8688 or optoutprescreen.com 
• Enhance your computer security.
• Close unused and unnecessary credit accounts.
• Monitor your monthly financial statements closely for unauthorized activity.
• Don’t store personal information in your glove compartment or car.
• Never leave anyone such as maintenance workers or home improvement professionals unattended in your home.