WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – To protect against identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission urges Americans to follow the “three D’s” _ deter, detect and defend.
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DETER identity thieves by safeguarding your information:
_ Shred financial documents.
_ Be careful with your Social Security number.
_ Don’t share personal data over the phone or the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with.
_ Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails.
_ Don’t use an obvious password to important websites.
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DETECT suspicious activity by routinely monitoring accounts and billing statements:
_ Be alert for mail that does not arrive as expected, calls about purchases you did not make or denials of credit for no apparent reason.
_ Inspect your credit report regularly. To get a free copy of your credit report from the major credit reporting companies visit
http://www.AnnualCreditReport.comor call 1-877-322-8228.
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DEFEND against identity theft as soon as you suspect a problem:
_ Place a fraud alert on your credit reports.
_ Close accounts that may have been compromised.
_ File a police report and report your complaint to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/idtheft or by phone at 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338).
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Source: Federal Trade Commission at
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/idtheft/idt06.pdf
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
