Emergency Information

Before revealing personal financial information, find out whom you're dealing with, how the information will be used, and if it will be shared with others.

• Visit the FTC's Identity Theft webpage

Before revealing personal financial information, find out whom you're dealing with, how the information will be used, and if it will be shared with others. Only give your SSN when it's absolutely necessary such as income tax records, medical records, credit bureau reports, college records, loan applications and vehicle registrations. Ask if you can use another identifier, such as a driver's license, instead. And don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet unless you need it that day.

Keep items with personal information in a safe place and either shred them or tear them up when you don't need them anymore. Dispose of checking/share draft copies and statements, receipts with a credit card imprint, insurance forms, expired credit cards, savings and investment account statements, and credit card offers the same way. Order a copy of your credit report from each credit-reporting agency every year.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) of 2003, effective by the end of 2004, requires credit bureaus to provide a free report annually to consumers who request a copy. Verify that your credit report is accurate and that it includes only activities you've authorized. Look over your credit card and credit union statements each month for unauthorized charges or suspicious activity. Photocopy financial cards and insurance cards you carry in your wallet (front and back) and keep copies in a safe place; if your wallet is lost or stolen, you can promptly and accurately report the loss.

Consider the information you're supplying on entries to win a car, shopping spree and so on. To win, information such as your age or income range usually is not necessary. Contact the U.S. Postal Service if your don't receive mail for a few days. You want to confirm your mail - with, say all those credit card offers - hasn't been diverted by a thief filling out a change of address form in your name. Recovering from identity theft:

The FACT Act helps ensure that all citizens are treated fairly when they apply for credit. It provides new national ID theft protections as well. Before, identity theft victims had to call all their credit card issuers and the three major credit bureaus to alert them to crime. Now, credit bureaus will share identity theft complaints, and consumers only will need to make one call to receive advice, set off a nationwide fraud alert, and protect their credit standing.

The ACT also allows active duty military personnel to place special alerts on their files when they are deployed overseas.

To help recover from identity theft:

Contact all creditors, utilities, and financial institutions about fraudulent accounts and follow up each conversation with a letter. Close suspicious accounts and open new ones using passwords and PINs (personal identification numbers). Don't use recognizable identifiers such as the last four digits of your SSN, your birth date, house number, and so for passwords and PINs.

File a report with your local police or the police where the theft took place. Get a copy of the report in case a creditor needs proof of the crime. File a complaint with the FTC at the Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free at 877-IDTHEFT (438-4338). Ask your creditors if they'll accept the FTC's ID Theft Affidavit.

You can get one by calling the FTC at 877-ID-THEFT or at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. The affidavit allows consumers to report identity theft information to several companies simultaneously. If it appears that someone is using your SSN, contact the Social Security Administration to verify the accuracy of your reported earnings and your name.

Call 800-772-1213 to check your Social Security statement.