better
MONEY
viruses, and keep the software
updated. N ever give out im portant
account inform ation b y e-m ail or
click on suspicious e-m ail
attachm ents or links. D o n ’t reveal
anything b y phone, either, unless
yo u ’re certain w h o is on the other
end. F o r the m ost part, you need
o n ly give out yo u r Social S ecurity
num ber w h e n applying fo r a job or
credit, opening a new financial
account, or fillin g out tax form s.
“It ’s all about lockin g dow n yo u r
personal inform ation,” says James
Van Dyke, president o f Javelin
Strategy & Research.
D o n ’t forget to order yo u r free
annual credit report. It ’s easy: Just
call 877/322-8228 or order it online
at
annualcreditreport.com.
Rather
than have all three credit repo rting
com panies— Equifax, E xpe rian, and
T ra n sU n io n — send yo u reports at
once, have the reports staggered so
that you receive one every four
m onths. T h a t w a y yo u can keep tabs
on yo u r credit and check to see if
there are any suspicious new
accounts throughout the year. If
you see a fraudulent charge on yo u r
credit card statement, you have
30 days to re p o rt it or yo u w ill be
held responsible.
GET A HEALTH CHECKUP
M e dical id e n tity theft is the n e w
g ro w th area o f id e n tity crim e. In this
va ria tio n on a them e, thieves steal
yo u r insurance in fo rm a tio n to get
access to p re scrip tio n drugs or costly
m edical services.
T h e W o rld P riv a c y Fo ru m
(worldprivacyforum.org)
recom -
m ends that yo u ask health insurers
to send yo u a lis t o f all benefits paid
in y o u r nam e once a year. Som etim es,
thieves w ill change y o u r b illin g
address o r p hon e num ber, and you
m ay n o t see claim s b ein g m ade in
yo u r nam e. Y o u m ay n o t becom e
aware o f a p roble m u n til a co llection
agency calls.
C a re fu lly m o n ito r any “explana-
tio n o f benefits” yo u do get fo r care
or m edical equipm ent yo u d id not
receive o r office visits yo u d id not
make. D o n ’t assume that e ve ryth in g
is O K ju st because yo u don’t ow e any
m oney. E v e n if m edical id e n tity theft
doesn’t cause m ajor financial pain, it
can be hazardous to yo u r health.
Y o u r m edical h is to ry needs to be
accurate and corrected if necessary
so that yo u don’t receive im p ro p er
care. In c o rre c t in fo rm a tio n can also
make it d ifficu lt to obtain life or
health insurance in the future. ffl
Visit us online for
coupons and savings
and help us donate
a million boxes of
Kraft Mac and Cheese
to Feeding America
for free! Log on today.
sharealittlecomfort.com
K e e p a n e y e o n y o u r c h i l d r e n
Your kids’ Social Security numbers could potentially be stolen by an
unscrupulous family member or a thief who may have been able to obtain
them from medical records or school forms. Too often, the problem may not
be noticed until the child turns 18 and applies for a student loan or other
credit. While you’re ordering your free annual credit report, also ask if there’s
a report for any of your children. If a report exists, take it as a sign that
someone has applied for credit in your child’s name. Request a Minor Alert
from the reporting agency, which works like a freeze, and take steps to close
accounts if necessary and to correct information. Teach your kids about safe
computing and to not give out personal information without your permission.
College students who get bombarded with credit offers need to be vigilant,
too. Stolen laptops and backpacks can trigger an identity theft scenario.
2 0 0
JULY2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
©2009
Kraft Foods
