The Truth About Avoiding Scams

Chapter 5. Protect yourself from identity theft

Follow these guidelines to protect yourself from identity theft:

1. Don’t give out your personal information on the phone to someone you have not called.

2. Don’t give your personal information online to anyone you have not contacted directly, and be sure that the company with which you are dealing is legitimate.

3. Check your credit report annually. It’s free. Go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp or call 877-322-8228.

4. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet.

5. Don’t use your Social Security number for identification purposes unless you’re required to do so by law. Generally, you are not required to provide your Social Security number to a business unless the company is required to ...