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Home > Personal Banking > Identity Theft Prevention

Identity Theft Prevention

Make identity theft prevention a part of your everyday life.

Identity theft continues to be a growing crime in the United States. According to the The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), nearly 9 million adults in the United States are victims of some form of identity theft each year.

While this statistic is based upon a national figure, it does hit close to home. For 2006, Illinois was ranked as the 12th state in the United States to have the most number of identity theft victims (per 100,000 unit of population). In addition, the FTC received 11,600 reports dealing with child identity theft cases (victims 18 years or younger) in 2005 - almost double the number of reports in 2003.

Identity Theft Prevention Tips

Safeguard yourself and your family with the following tips:

• Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information before you discard them.
• Protect your Social Security number. Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check. Give it out only if absolutely necessary or ask to use another identifier.
• Don't give out personal information on the phone, through email, or over the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with.
• Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails; instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer; keep them up-to-date.
• Don't use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother's maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
• Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house.

For more information about avoiding identity theft, visit the web site of The Federal Trade Commission.

Source: The Federal Trade Commission