Insurance Office of America

IOA Personal Lines Newsletter

Protecting Your Identity

In a fast paced world full of technology, your identity may be at risk. Take a minute to read these helpful tips for protecting your identity, and your life.

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.
2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.
3. Never give out personal information over email, the Internet or the phone unless you have initiated the contact. Identity thieves often pose as government officials, representatives from the bank, credit card companies or Internet service providers in order to con you into revealing your personal information.
4. Shred documents, like credit card receipts and insurance forms, that show your personal information before you dispose of them.
5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

Here is an example of what can occur if your wallet is stolen:

"Within a week, the thief ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more."

What to do if your wallet is stolen:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.
2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one)
3. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, etc., has been stolen:

Free Annual Credit Reports

On December 4, 2003, President Bush signed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act). The FACT Act allows consumers to request and obtain a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.

To obtain your free credit report, visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. The reports are available from each of the three main reporting companies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can order one from each company once a year. You may want to order them all atonce or periodically throughout the year.

Use your credit report to check for unauthorized activity, including activity that

might be the result of identity theft or inaccurate reporting. In addition, insurance companies use your credit report to determine your credit score and rates. For additional information on credit scoring, please contact your Customer Service Agent.

To contact the IOA Personal Lines Department, call (800) 243-6899, ext. 5149.

This document is advisory in nature. Neither IOA nor its employees shall be liable to any party for the use of any information made or contained in any evaluation, report, or recommendation.