Advice for Consumers

What Consumers Can Do About Identity Theft

There are many steps consumers can take to minimize their risk of being an identity theft victim. For example, consumers should closely guard their social security number and shred charge receipts, copies of credit applications and other sensitive documents. Consumers also should review their bills and credit reports regularly and be aware of telltale signs to detect that their identity may have been stolen. In addition, if consumers find they have been victimized, there are a series of steps they can take to recover from identity theft as soon as they detect it, such as placing a credit freeze or fraud alert on their credit report and closing accounts that may have been tampered with.