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1.0Identity Theft Basics7. Guard your credit cards andPINs/passwordsMinimize the information andthe number of cards you carry inyour wallet. Do not keep personalidentification numbers (PINs) or othercredit card access codes with yourcredit card. If you lose a card, contactthe fraud division of the credit cardcompany immediately. If you applyfor a new credit card and it does notarrive in a reasonable period, contactthe issuer. Watch cashiers when yougive them your card for a purchase.Also, when you receive a new card,sign it in permanent ink and activate itimmediately. Memorize your passwordsand PINs instead of carrying themwith you. Avoid using easily availableinformation passwords, like yourmother’s maiden name, your birthdate, the last four digits of your SocialSecurity Number or phone number, or aseries of consecutive numbers.8. Pay attention to billing cyclesContact lenders immediately if yourbills arrive late. A missing bill couldmean an identity thief has taken overyour credit card account and changedyour billing address.9. Safeguard personal information inyour homeMake sure that sensitive personalinformation, such as bank statements,Social Security paperwork, passports,etc., is stored in a safe place inyour home. If you have a serviceappointment requiring outside helpto enter your residence, pay specialattention to ensure your personalinformation is secure. If you are unableto be at home for the duration of theappointment, consider asking a friendor family member to help.10. Protect your computeragencies and check for any newViruses and other malware are rampant accounts opened in your name.on the Internet, so keep your anti-virus Because new accounts may takesoftware up-to-date. Use caution when up to six months to show up on thereport, continue to monitor your creditdownloading information, and be surereports. A Three-Bureau Credit Reportyou know that the source is credible.When downloading e-mail attachments, from Equifax will give you a line by lineperform a virus scan first — even if you comparison of your credit history asreported to Equifax, Experian,know the person who sent it to you -and TransUnion.as his or her own e-mail account mayhave been compromised.Contact any of the creditreporting agenciesn I II. What to Do If YouAre a Victim ofIdentity TheftIf you suspect that someone has usedyour name, Social Security Number, orother personal information to get creditor a loan, the following information canhelp you:Keep a recordRecovering from identity theft can bea long and complicated process, soit is important to keep a record of allcommunications. Send all letters bycertified mail and keep copies. If youthink your case might lead to a lawsuit,keep track of how much time youspend dealing with the problem.Contact any one of the threenationwide credit reporting agenciesand request that an initial 90 day fraudalert be placed on your credit file.Once your alert is placed on your creditfile at one of the nationwide creditreporting agencies, it will automaticallybe forwarded to the other two so thatyou do not need to contact each ofthem separately.Subscribe to a creditmonitoring productProducts like Equifax CompleteAdvantage or Equifax CompletePremier monitor activity in your creditfile. When there are changes to keyinformation, like when new creditaccounts are applied for in your name,you receive an alert. You can thenview the alert, which will describe theCall the policechange to your credit file, so that youReport the crime to the policecan make sure it is not the result ofor sheriff’s department that hasidentity theft or fraud. You can alsojurisdiction in your case and request ahelp prevent identity theft from takingpolice report. Though the authoritiesplace by using the Automatic Fraudmay be limited in what they can do toAlert feature (included with Equifaxhelp, a report may be necessary to helpComplete Premier), which enables youconvince lenders that someone elseto place a fraud alert on your Equifaxhas opened an account in your name.credit file (and referred to the othernationwide credit reporting agencies)Check your credit reportand is automatically renewed everyGet your credit report from each of90 days. This prompts lenders to takethe three nationwide credit reportingsteps to verify your identity, such as byEquifax Dedicated Customer Supportn1-800-4 EQUIFAXn24 Hours a Dayn7 Days a Week

1.0Identity Theft Basicscontacting you before authorizing newor additional credit.Visit www.equifax.com to learn moreabout Equifax identity and creditmonitoring products.n IV. Victims’ RightsIf you have been a victim of identitytheft, you have certain rights. Here is abrief summary of the rights designed tohelp you recover from identity theft:Fraud alertsYou have the right to ask that themajor credit reporting agencies place a“fraud alert” in your file to let potentialcreditors and others know that youmay be a victim of identity theft. Thereare two types of fraud alerts: an initialfraud alert that lasts for 90 days andan extended fraud alert that lastsfor 7 years. You can place an initialfraud alert on your Equifax credit file24 hours a day, 7 days a week onlineby going to www.alerts.equifax.comor by calling our auto fraud line at1-888-766-0008 and following theprompts. Once placed with Equifax,the other two major credit reportingagencies, Experian and TransUnion,will be notified as well. You may placean extended 7-year alert by writingto Equifax or to one of the othernationwide credit reporting companiesand providing an Identity Theft Report,as well as a day and evening telephonenumber. The requirements for anIdentity Theft Report are listed on theFTC’s web site at www.ftc.gov. Theextended alert removes your namefrom pre-screened offers of credit for5 years. If you currently subscribe toEquifax Complete Premier, you mayuse the free Automatic Fraud Alertfeature within your product whichplaces a fraud alert on your Equifaxcredit file (and referred to the othernationwide credit reporting agencies)and automatically renews every90 days.Equifax Fraud AlertPhone Number: 1-888-766-0008Or go online: www.alerts.equifax.comCredit reportWhen you place a fraud alert on yourcredit file, you have the right to freecopies of the information in your file(your “file disclosure”). An initial fraudalert entitles you to a copy of all theinformation in your file at each of thethree nationwide agencies, and anextended alert entitles you to two freefile disclosures in a 12-month periodfollowing the placing of the alert. Youcan obtain your free fraud alert creditfile disclosure from Equifax atwww.alerts.equifax.comYou also have a right to obtain afree copy of your credit report onceevery 12 months from each of themajor nationwide consumer reportingcompanies. To order your free annualreport from one or all the nationalconsumer reporting companies, visitwww.annualcreditreport.com, call tollfree 1-877-322-8228, or complete theAnnual Credit Report Request Formand mail it to: Annual Credit ReportRequest Service, P.O. Box 105281,Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.Fraudulent informationYou have the right to obtain certaindocumentation relating to fraudulenttransactions or to accounts openedusing your personal information.A creditor or other business mustgive you copies of applications andother business records relating toEquifax Dedicated Customer Supportn1-800-4 EQUIFAXntransactions and accounts that resultedfrom the theft of your identity, if youask for them in writing and include theinformation required to respond to yourrequest. You will be required to provideproof of your identity and proof of yourclaim of identity theft (including both apolice report and an affidavit) before abusiness can give you this information.Reporting information to consumerreporting agenciesYou also may prevent businessesfrom reporting information about youto consumer reporting agencies ifyou believe the information is a resultof identity theft. To do so, you mustsend your request to the addressspecified by the business that reportsthe information to the consumerreporting agency. The business willexpect you to identify what informationyou do not want reported, to providean identity theft report, and to write aletter explaining that the informationthat they are reporting resulted fromidentity theft. Note that the informationprovider may continue to report theinformation if later it is learned that theinformation does not result fromidentity theft.Blocking consumer reportingagencies from reportinginformation in your credit fileIf you believe information in your fileresults from identity theft, you have theright to ask that a consumer reportingagency block that information fromyour file. An identity thief may run upbills in your name and not pay them.Information about the unpaid billsmay appear on your credit report.Should you decide to ask a consumerreporting agency to block the reportingof this information, you must identifythe information to block and provide24 Hours a Dayn7 Days a Week

2.0List of Resourcesthe consumer reporting agency withproof of your identity and a copyof your identity theft report. Oncethe consumer reporting agency hasaccepted your identity theft report, itmust notify the information providerabout the block. If a consumerreporting agency tells an informationprovider that it has blocked fraudulentinformation in your credit report,the information provider may notcontinue to report that informationto the consumer reporting agency.The information provider also maynot collect the debt that relates to thefraudulent account, or sell that debt toanyone else who would try to collect it.Other ResourcesFederal Trade Commission (FTC)The FTC offers information for victims.File your case with the FTCConsumerResponse Center. Include your policereport number.Use the FTC uniform affidavit form.1-877-438-4338www.ftc.gov/idtheftSocial Security Administration’sFraud Hotline800-269-0271n Helpful ResourcesIf you want to know more about identitytheft and credit fraud, the followingnonprofit Web sites are excellentsources of information and additionalcontact information.There are a number of additionalservices available if you believe youhave been a victim of identity theft:US Government Web sitefor Identity Thefthttp://www.ftc.gov/idtheftCredit Reporting BureausFTC Consumer Complaint P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348Report fraud: Call 1-800-525-6285 orwrite to address above.Order credit report: 1-800-685-1111www.equifax.comExperian (formerly TRW)P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013Report fraud: Call 1-888-397-3742or write to address above.Order credit report: 1-888-397-3742www.experian.comTransUnionP.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834Report fraud: 1-800-680-7289 andwrite to address above.Order credit report: 1-800-888-4213www.transunion.comUS Department of es/idtheft.htmlSocial Security Administration/Office ofthe Inspector GeneralFraud Web sitehttp://www.ssa.gov/oig/guidelin.htmUS Secret Service: What to do if you’rea victim of identity thefthttp://www.secretservice.gov/criminal.shtmlID thieves are always on the lookoutfor new ways to obtain your sensitivepersonal information. It is critical thatyou stay one step ahead, and one ofthe easiest and most effective waysEquifax Dedicated Customer Supportn1-800-4 EQUIFAXnis to remain educated and up-to-dateregarding identity thieves’latest techniques.By knowing what to look for, you canmake better choices to protect youridentity. Whether it is a scam involvingsocial media sites, obtaining data whileperforming civic duties, or other typesof malicious attack, identity thieveswill try and take advantage of any waythey can secure your sensitive personalinformation. Here’s a selection of recentscams and techniques to know whatyou should be on the lookout for:Gadget Grifters:One of the growing types of identitytheft involves stealing informationthrough our electronic gadgets. Associety becomes increasingly “wired,”it is becoming easier to gain access tosensitive personal information on thego. Criminals can use mobile devicesto their advantage in a number of ways.If you are not careful when using yourcredit card, a thief could easily anddiscreetly take a picture of your cardwith his/her camera phone. Similarly,it is important to watch out for peeringeyes if using your computer in public.In general, take steps to safeguardyour belongings; the more personalinformation we store on our electronicdevices, the more vulnerable we leaveourselves to identity theft if thosedevices are misplaced or stolen.The best way to safeguard againstthese kinds of crimes is to be discreetwhen paying with a credit card toprevent any unwanted eyes fromseeing it. Additionally, make sure youuse secure sites on your wirelessdevices and clear all personal data fromthem when you are finished with yourtransactions. You could also considerutilizing password protection on yourphone and laptop.24 Hours a Dayn7 Days a Week

3.0Latest Trends in Identity TheftTech TacticsIdentity thieves are always developingnew ways to obtain sensitive personalinformation over the Internet. While youmay have heard of phishing (fraudulente-mails disguised as if they were fromtrusted sources to obtain personalinformation) and pharming (redirectingWeb traffic to fraudulent sites to obtaininformation), you should also beconscious of IP spoofing.They can also obtain sensitivepersonal information by posing as debtconsolidation experts or by offeringto obtain lower interest rates for thevictims. Make sure that all creditinteractions you have are withreputable sources.The Jury Duty ScamIdentity thieves often prey on people’sfear and , in some cases, their civicobligations. The “Jury Duty” scam, forexample, is remarkably easy to fall for.Imagine this scenario: you receive a callfrom a jury coordinator informing youYou can always turn to the Betterthat a warrant has been issued for yourBusiness Bureau if you are unsure.arrest due to your failure to appear forjury duty. When you explain that youStaying Safe Sociallynever even received a summons forjury duty, the coordinator asks for yourWith the rapidly growing popularityIP spoofing, or Internet ProtocolSocial Security Number and date ofof social media sites, more peoplespoofing, is a technique used to gainbirth in order to verify your informationare sharing an increasing amount ofunauthorized access to computers byand cancel the warrant. Of course youpersonal information over the Internet.tricking the computer itself into thinking Even if you do not consider some of the are willing to provide this information;the hacker’s IP is a “safe” one. Oncethere has obviously been a mistake andinformation you display on social sitesthis is accomplished, the hacker couldyou want to avoid arrest at all costs.“sensitive personal information,” youhave full access to your computer —The problem is, this is all part ofshould still use strict privacy settings.without you even knowing. The bestthe scam. There never was a warrant,way to avoid this sort of fraud is byand you have just had your identityNumerous studies have shown thatmaking sure your computer’s securitystolen.with the right technology, determinedprograms are up-to-date and byidentity thieves may be able toutilizing the most secure filter, router, or eventually piece together seeminglyThis scam has been reported in afirewall offered.insignificant facts about you along with number of states. So if you receivea phone call that seems suspiciouspublicly available information to stealNew Twists on Old Techniquesor threatening, do not panic. Simplyyour identity. The best way to preventask for more information, the caller’sIdentity thieves have relied on creditthis is to share as little informationcard scams for quite a while, butpublically as possible and ask that your supervisor, or a number at which youcurrent economic challenges havefriends be subtle in the information they can reach them after doing moreresearch. Nothing foils an identity thiefallowed them to use new, moreshare about you; your best efforts tosuccessful angles to get the information safeguard your identity can be negated like an educated response.they need. Due to tightened credit,by a careless friend’s wall posts.criminals are advertising fraudulentcredit offers to victims who may bestrapped for cash but are not qualifiedto apply for credit (poor credit score,lacking a SSN).Equifax Credit Report Control is only available while you have a current subscription to an ID Patrol, Equifax Complete Advantage or Equifax CompletePremier product. Locking your credit file with Equifax Credit Report Control will prevent access to your Equifax credit file by certain third parties, such ascredit grantors or other companies and agencies. Credit Report Control will not prevent access to your credit file at any other credit reporting agency, andwill not prevent access to your Equifax credit file by companies like Equifax Personal Solutions which provide you with access to your credit report or creditscore or monitor your credit file; Federal, state and local government agencies; companies reviewing your application for employment; companies that havea current account or relationship with you, and collection agencies acting on behalf of those whom you owe; for fraud detection and prevention purposes;and companies that wish to make pre-approved offers of credit or insurance to you. To opt out of such pre-approved offers, call 1-888-567-8681WebDetect can scan suspected internet trading sites for your Social Security number (if you choose to) or up to 10 major credit/debit card numbersyou provide. Because the addresses of the suspected internet trading sites searched by WebDetect are not published and frequently change, there isno guarantee that WebDetect is able to locate every possible internet site where consumers’ personal information is at risk of being traded. Your SocialSecurity number or the credit card numbers you have chosen to scan for with WebDetect may be at risk of being traded on the internet even if you do notreceive a WebDetect alert.2Equifax Dedicated Customer Supportn1-800-4 EQUIFAXn24 Hours a Dayn7 Days a Week

Equifax Dedicated Customer Support1-800-4EQUIFAX24 Hours a Day7 Days a Week

Equifax Dedicated Customer Support n 1-800-4 EQUIFAX n 24 Hours a Day n 7 Days a Week Contents 1.0 Identity Theft Basics I: What is Identity Theft? II: Ten Important Steps You Can Take to Prevent Yourself from Becoming A Victim of Identity Theft. III: What to Do if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft. IV: Victim's Rights.