•         Monitor credit reports

–        www.annualcreditreport.com provides a free credit report once every 12 months from the three main reporting agencies -  Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax

•         Beware of online requests for personal information

–        If an e-mail request accounts numbers or personal information, phone the company don’t reply to the e-mail

•         Shred documents before putting into the trash

The information highway has opened new avenues of communications never before thought possible.  You can purchase goods, manage a checking account, buy an airline ticket, or even access the workplace from the comfort of your home computer.  Unfortunately, this avenue is actually a two way street.  Scammers, hackers, and identity thieves can access your computer and steal valuable information.

 

In order to help consumers protect themselves, the Federal Trade Commission has launched a web site http://onguardonline.gov .  The sites includes their initiative “Stop-Think-Click”  as well as other helpful information about identity theft, wireless technology and online scams.