[EAS] Identity Theft Precautions

pjk pjk at design.eng.yale.edu
Wed Feb 23 14:07:38 EST 2005


Subject:   Identity Theft Precautions

(from NewsScan Daily, 23 February 2005)

PROTECTING YOURSELF AGAINST IDENTIFY THEFT
     Consumers worried that their personal and financial data may
have been captured by the criminals who scammed the ChoicePoint
company are being assured by the Private Rights Clearinghouse: "If
you don't receive a letter from ChoicePoint within the next 10 days,
you can be assured you have not been a victim of this identity
theft." Even so, you should always check your monthly bank and
credit card statements to make sure all charges are valid, and you
should review your credit reports at least once a year. If you do
get a letter from ChoicePoint, follow its instructions, visit the
FTC Web site, and obtain the affidavit credit bureaus require to
place a long-term fraud alert on your account. And keep reviewing
your credit history! (Washington Post 22 Feb 2005)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45534-2005Feb22.html>
(free registration req'd)

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The article also gives related resources, such as the "What to do"
article from Slate <http://slate.com/Default.aspx?id=2113746&>,
which in turn has a number of useful links. Correcting identity
fraud and your credit history is a task that amounts to a part-time
job - a cheerful thought about our inadequately reliably
computerized lives, as we wait for a letter from ChoicePoint.

   --PJK




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