• Practice Safe Computing: It's vitally important to inoculate your home computer against attacks and spying, especially if you trade music or other digital files online. Buy anti-virus software and keep it updated with the latest virus definitions. Also consider firewall software. See "A Cybersecurity Primer: Links and Resources for Computer Users" and The Washington Post's recent special report on safe computing.
If You Are Victimized
• Contact the fraud departments of the three big credit bureaus. They can place a fraud alert on your account and request that creditors call you before they open new accounts in your name. Ask for credit reports so you can track the abuse.
• Close or suspend your compromised accounts. Contact your credit card company and bank to report your ATM or credit card stolen. Have your bank stop payment on stolen checks and contact their check verification companies.
• File a police report detailing the fraud. Provide authorities with as much documentation as possible, and be persistent. Some credit bureaus will only block fraudulent accounts on your card if you have filed a report.
• Complain to the FTC, which maintains a database of ID theft cases for federal investigators.
New Tools for Fighting ID Theft
President Bush signed legislation on Dec. 4, 2003, giving consumers new ways to protect their identities. The new law:
• Gives every consumer the right to request a free credit report every year.
• Makes it easier for consumers to report identity theft with one phone call. Credit card companies and credit bureaus are required to participate in a national ID theft alert system.
• Requires merchants to black out Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and debit card numbers on receipts.
• Requires financial institutions to develop a system for identifying ID theft faster and taking steps to minimize the damages early on, even before a consumer is aware of the problem.
• Orders federal regulators to establish guidelines for recognizing and combating identity theft and to hold financial institutional accountable for implementing the guidelines.
Resources
• The FTC's ID theft page offers advice on protecting yourself, tips for clearing your record and a link to a guide on the subject.
• FTC Online Complaint Form
• Equifax, Experian and
TransUnion are the nation's three major credit bureaus.
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse ID Theft Resources Page
• Consumers Union advice: ID Theft Action and Prevention for Consumers and "Stop Thieves From Stealing You"
• Better Business Bureau: Identity Theft Information for Consumers and Businesses
Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary writes regularly about identity theft: