![]() ![]() Removing yourself from these lists does not hurt your chances of applying for or getting credit. Get off these mailing lists by calling The Federal Trade Commission at 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-88) (your social security number will be required to verify your identity). These mailings are a gold mine for identity thieves, who may steal them and apply for credit in your name. Get off credit marketing lists. Credit bureaus compile marketing lists for pre-approved offers of credit. To take advantage of many online services, you will inevitably have to provide personal information in order to handle billing and shipping of purchased goods. Protect your personal information. Since not divulging any personal information is rarely possible, exercise caution when sharing personal information such as your name, home address, phone number, and email address online. Don't click on the links in these messages as they make take you to a fraudulent, malicious websites. Don't do it. When in doubt, contact the company by phone or by typing in the company's web address directly into your web browser. Privacy guard scams update#To fix it, they say you need to click on a link to update your information, usually a web-based form for entering your social security number, credit card or bank passwords. Open it and you'll see a warning that your account is about to expire or worse. Before responding, contact the company directly to confirm the call or email is actually from them.ĭon't respond to email messages that ask for personal information. Phishing is when crooks send fake emails that scare you into giving them private information, credit card numbers and online passwords, for example, then use that information to steal from you.įor example, you may receive an official looking email that looks like it's from your bank, your mobile phone company, your credit card company or even the IRS. Some messages will often tell you that you have to act quickly to keep your account open, update your security, or urge you to provide information immediately or else something bad will happen. Things that indicate a bogus message may be fraudulent are misspellings, poor grammar, odd phrasings, website addresses with strange extensions, website addresses that are entirely numbers where there are normally words, and anything else out of the ordinary. Be especially suspicious if someone contacts you and asks you to provide information they should already have. Crooks pretending to be from legitimate companies may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. ![]() If you're not sure that you're dealing with the real thing, find another way to contact the legitimate business and ask. If prompted for it, practice due diligence: investigate who is gathering the information, why they are collecting it, and how they will use it.īeware of impostors. Someone might send you an email pretending to be connected with a business, or create a website that looks just like that of a well-known company. Don't give this information to anyone unless you're sure who it is and why it's necessary to provide it. ![]() Keep your social security number and personal information confidential. Never disclose your personal information this includes your address, Social Security number, and telephone number to people or companies you don't know or trust. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Guard your personal information. Don't provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something. It usually results in the loss of personal data, such as passwords, user names, banking information, or credit card numbers. Identity theft, or fraud, is a crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another individual's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. ![]()
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