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As with any crime, you can't guarantee that you will never be a victim, but you can minimize your risk. By managing your personal information widely, cautiously and with an awareness of the issue, you can help guard against identity theft.

Victims spend on average 175 hours and $800 to clear their names. Here are some tips from the FTC on how to avoid identity theft:

  1. Actually look at your credit card and bank account statements, instead of just glancing over them quickly. This is usually the first place unauthorized activity will show up.

  2. Call your credit card company or credit union if an account statement is late. A missing bill may mean someone called the company using your name, and changed the billing address to prevent you from catching their shopping spree.

  3. Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or online unless you initiate the contact or know the caller. Thieves will pose as bank representatives, Internet service providers, or government agents to get you to reveal personal information.

  4. Tear or shred any documents that contain personal information. These include credit card receipts, insurance forms, physician and bank statements, and even credit card offers.

  5. Deposit outgoing mail directly into post office boxes, not in your own mailbox. Thieves can steal your personal information right out of your mailbox. If you're going on vacation, place a hold on your mail at the post office.

  6. Don’t carry your Social Security card with you! Stash it away in a safe place, and only carry a minimum number of ID and credit cards with you.

  7. Don’t pre-print your Social Security or driver’s license numbers on your checks.

  8. Give out your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other identifiers when possible.

  9. When using an ATM or point-of-sale terminal, shield the keypad when you enter your PIN and make sure to take your transaction receipt with you.

  10. When possible, use secure, electronic documents and services like FCU’s Free Online Banking (FCU@Home), or FCU’s Free Bill Payer Service. These services help reduce the paper trail.

If you suspect that you may be a victim of fraud, stop by any FCU office for a FREE credit report. Besides checking for fraud, our Member Service Representatives will help you interpret your report.