• Check your consumer reports (i.e., credit reports) annually at least, and before making a major purchase like a home or car. Dispute and remove errors or unknown accounts in the reports.
• Check bank and credit card statements and bills regularly. Report unauthorized transactions immediately and then in writing.
• Contact your financial institution if your regular statements or bills don’t arrive on time to see whether they were mailed, or possibly intercepted or diverted to another address.
• Be cautious about sharing your information. Generally, refrain from giving personal information and account information out to others – via phone, fax, mail, or e-mail -- if you have not initiated the communication in the first place.
• Choose your tax preparer very carefully, if you don’t prepare your own tax return.
• If the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sends you a letter that leads you to believe someone may have used your Social Security number fraudulently, contact the IRS immediately as directed.
• Read a company’s privacy and security policy in order to understand how your personal information will be used, disclosed, and protected.
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