Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. It can occur when criminals steal personal identification information such as your name, birth date, Social Security number, or your mother’s maiden name and use it for their own gain. These thefts can occur through lost or stolen credit or debit cards, non-secure online transactions, personal information recovered from your garbage, and most frequently, stolen mail from your mailbox.

Four ways you can protect yourself from identity theft:

Basic Theft Prevention

Don't carry important numbers or passwords with you.

Memorize your Social Security number.

Don’t use your date of birth as your password.

Never leave receipts behind.

Credit/Debit cards

Sign your new cards immediately.

Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately. Make sure you keep the numbers of the issuers somewhere besides on the back of your card.

Always check your monthly financial statements carefully against your receipts.

Review your consumer credit report annually.

Mail

Don’t leave mail in your mailbox for more than one day. If you are gone, arrange to have a trusted neighbor or friend pick up your mail.

Double check that mailboxes are official U.S. Postal Service collection boxes before you deposit your mail.

Shred or tear up all unnecessary documents that have your personal information on them.

Online

Never put in a credit or debit card number through a website unless it offers a secure transaction.

A secure transaction will have a “padlock” icon at the bottom strip of the web page. Also, the URL address will change from "http" to "https" on the page where you input your personal data.

What can you do if you become a victim?

As soon as you discover your identity is being used, you can begin to fight back to lessen the damage the criminal can do. This is why checking your financial statements frequently and carefully can be your best first step toward discovering an ID theft.

Report the crime

Call the police to report a physical theft of your belongings, or a robbery. If immediate danger is over, you can make a report to the Seattle Police non-emergency line: 206.625.5011.

Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service office if the crime involved U.S. mail: 206.442.6300.

Call the U.S. Secret Service if the crime involved counterfeit credit cards or computer hacking: 206.220.6800.

Call the issuing credit card company if the crime involved credit card fraud.

Other steps to take

Call the Federal Trade Commission at 1.877.IDTHEFT for counseling and help to resolve problems arising from this crime.

Call one of the major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) to see if any new accounts were opened in your name without your consent. You can place a "fraud alert" on your file.

Keep a record of the names and phone numbers of the people you talked with when reporting your case, along with any supporting documentation.