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1 WHAT IS IDENTITY THEFT? 1What Does Personal Information Include? 3Identity Theft and Technology 4How Do Identity Thieves Steal Information? 5What Happens to Your Personal Information? 5Detecting Identity Theft 7How Safe Is Your Identity? 8How This Book Can Help You 102 PREVENTING IDENTITY THEFT 13When You Give Your Information Away 13How good is a company's privacy policy? 16Opting out 19Threats at Work 20What your employer can do to protect yourinformation 21What you can do to protect your information 22vCONTENTSShopping Securely 23Check Washing 25Computer Protection 26Guard your laptop 26Secure your wireless connections 28Keep safe on the Internet 28Watch for phishing scams 32Protect yourself during online transactions 35Hackers 36PDAs (Personal digital assistants) 37Discard your computer with care 38What Your Children Need to Know 38Children's friends 39Children and the Internet 39Protecting Your Home 40Mail 40Trash 41Telephone 41Credit and Debit Cards 42Car Risks 43The Threat You Carry 44On Vacation and Still at Risk 44The Danger Card (SSN/SIN) 46Canadian Firearms License 48Identity Theft Insurance 49""Say No"" to Identity Theft 493 WHAT TO DO IF YOU BECOME A VICTIM 51Document Everything 52Track Your Investigation 53Get the Help You Need 54vi Identity theft toolkitWhom You Should Contact 55Financial institutions 55Police 56Personal service providers 57Government departments 57Be Sure to Follow Up 58Summary 594 REPORTING AN IDENTITY THEFT 61Law Enforcement 61Financial Reporting 62Financial institutions 62Credit card companies 62Debit cards 63Check cashing 63Student loan fraud 64Bankruptcy fraud 65Department store accounts 65Investment fraud 66Government Agencies 68Tax fraud 68Driver's license 69SSN or SIN fraud 69Passport fraud 71Old Age Pension fraud 72Criminal Records 74United States 74Canada 75Canadian Firearms License 75Personal Reporting 76Phone fraud 76Calling cards 78Contents viiUtility fraud 78Mail theft 78Internet fraud 78Help Track Identity Theft 80United States Federal Trade Commission 80PhoneBusters Canada 805 YOUR CREDIT REPORT 81Credit Report Suspicions 83United States Credit Bureaus 84Fraud alert 84Your rights 85Free credit reports 87Free active duty alerts for military personnel 88Credit report fees 88TransUnion 89Equifax 97Experian 99Canadian Credit Bureaus 102Fraud alerts 103TransUnion Canada 103Equifax Canada 1116 FORMS FOR DEALING WITH IDENTITY THEFT 115ID Theft Victim Information Form 118Contact Checklist 123Law Enforcement Contact Form 125Main Financial Institutions Contact Form 126Additional Financial Contacts Form 127Credit Card Companies Contact Form 128Department Stores Contact Form 129Driver's License Contact Form 130viii Identity theft toolkitSSN or SIN Information Contact Form 131Passport Contact Form 132Telephone Companies Contact Form 133Utility Companies Contact Form 134Other Services Contact Form 135Post Office Contact Form 136Medical Information Contact Form 137Equifax United States Contact Form 138TransUnion United States Contact Form 139Experian United States Contact Form 140Equifax Canada Contact Form 141TransUnion Canada Contact Form 142Sample Letter to a Credit Reporting Agency 143Sample Letter to Existing Creditors 144Sample Confirmation Letter 145Quick List of US Contacts 146Quick List of Canadian Contacts 147CHECKLISTSYour Identity Risk Test 9Identification Document Checklist 45SAMPLESSample Phishing E-mail 32Sample Credit Report from TransUnion (US) 92Sample Credit File Request Form from TransUnion 105Sample Credit Report from TransUnion (Canada) 107TABLESIdentity Risk Test Results 10Examples of Breach of Privacy 18Current Rates for a Personal Credit Report 89