Identity Theft in California: Tips and Help

The nation’s leading method of fraud is identity theft, according to a report CALPIRG has released entitled “Still @ Risk: New Technology & Identity Theft Trends in California”. With the largest number of identity theft complaints coming from California, CALPIRG’s new identity theft resource center is a good place for Californians to bookmark. Found at www.calpirg.org/IDTheft, the resource center provides information on preventing and detecting identity theft, as well as information on what to do when you detect identity theft and how to protect your privacy when paying.

The 12 simple tips CALPIRG suggests to protect yourself are:

1. Do not disclose your Social Security number unless you have to. Never use it as an identifier or password, and question institutions who ask for it.

2. Avoid paper billing by requesting secure electronic statements instead. If you still require hard copies, you can print them and store them safely rather than risk mail theft.

3. Lock your mailbox.

4. Keep your information safe, both online and offline. Shred documents containing personal information before throwing them away. Password protect sensitive computer files.

5. Use unique hard-to-guess passwords that include a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.

6. Avoid using the same password across multiple accounts, and change your passwords once or twice per year.

7. Install and update antivirus, anti-malware, and security programs on all computers, tablets, and smart-phones.

8. Don’t disclose information commonly used to verify your identity on social network sites. This includes date of birth, city of birth, mother’s maiden name, and name of high school.

9. Avoid making purchases, paying bills, or sending sensitive information over unsecured WiFi networks (at airports, coffee shops, or hotels).

10. Disable Bluetooth connections on devices when not in use.

11. Watch out for “phishing” scams. If you receive un-solicited requests for personal information in email or over the phone, ignore them. Instead, use official methods of contact online or by calling the institution’s customer service numbers available on statements, back of cards, or on official websites.

12. Fight “skimmers” by not handing your debit card to a server or anyone who could have a hand-held skimming device out of sight. When using ATM machines, touch to see if the all the parts are solid and not add-ons; always cover the hand typing the password; look for suspicious holes or cameras; and avoid using ATM machines in unsupervised locations.