Coaching Consumers on Fighting Fraud

A widely quoted expert on the subject of identity theft, Van Dyke makes the following recommendations to consumers.

• Eliminate High-Risk Paper. Use online banking, statement monitoring and bill payment, ideally through one reputable provider. Sign up for automatic deposits. Opt out of pre-approved card offers at 888-5OPTOUT. Shred all unwanted documents that can't be eliminated at the source. Retrieve paper mail promptly and never place checks in a personal outgoing mailbox.
• Monitor Accounts Regularly. Review bank and credit card statements weekly, and use e-mail-based account "alerts" to monitor transfers, payments, low balances and withdrawals. Use an online credit monitoring service as an extra precaution.
• Choose the Right Providers. When comparing online finance services, look for paperless statements, a zero-liability guarantee against fraud, extended-hours customer service, access to multiple statements and availability of account alerts.
• Practice Safe Computer Behavior. When reading e-mails that claim to be from known parties, ignore any Internet links provided; instead, type in the Internet address. Don't discard a computer without deleting all sensitive data. Use credit cards or e-mail-based person-to-person payments for auctions, and be wary of sellers without high satisfaction ratings. Use and update firewall and anti-virus software.
• Protect Private Information. Never give out private information such as Social Security and/or financial account numbers unless you trust the other party and have no other option. Use unique passwords that are hard for others to guess, change them frequently and record them (in coded form) in a safe place.