The acquisition of key pieces of a person’s identity such as name, address, date of birth, social security number and mother’s maiden name are what allows these criminals to commit a variety of frauds, including opening new bank accounts, purchasing automobiles, securing loans, renting apartments, and securing accounts with utility and telephone service providers. These criminals will eventually default on these accounts; however they are in the victim’s name. As a result, the victim may not know they have defaulted on these fraudulent accounts until their credit is already severely damaged.  

There are many ways to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft. Some common tips are:

• Protect mail by removing it from the mailbox as soon as possible, or purchase a locking mailbox.
• Shred or tear up any discarded paperwork containing financial or personal information.
• Carefully review financial and utility bills to ensure no unauthorized billing has occurred

• If using a computer, install software that encrypts information you send by e-mail.
• Stop preapproved credit offers by calling all three credit bureau and opting out.
• Only provide personal information and identifiers to people you know will keep the information secure.
• Be aware of where your personal identification is kept, and who has access to it.
• Don't provide information in response to unsolicited offers by phone, mail, over the Internet, or in person.
• Do not use your social security number unless you have to.
• To minimize the amount of information an identity theft thief can steal, do not carry extra credit cards, your social security card, your birth certificate, or your passport in your wallet or purse, except when needed.
• Remove your name from the marketing lists of the three major credit reporting bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union).
• Have your name and address removed from telephone books and reverse directories.
• Order your credit report once a year from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus to check for inaccuracies and fraud.
• Always take credit card receipts with you and don't throw them away in a public trashcan.

You may read more on identity theft by clicking on the link below, for the New Jersey State Police Identity Theft Prevention Guide.

http://www.njsp.org/tech/pdf/Cyber_Crimes_ID_Theft_Guide.pdf