Personal Information Safety Tips
Identity theft has become an unfortunate fact of life in our society, and as one might expect, financial institutions and their members are natural targets. While Clearview is always taking steps to protect our members and their assets from such activities, there are many ways you can safeguard your own personal information, like consistently monitoring your credit report.
Experts suggest you set up recurring reminders on your calendar to request one every four months. For example, check Equifax in April, Experian in August and TransUnion in December.
While there are many ways to review your credit report, annualcreditreport.com is a highly recommended, safe site. Actually, it’s the ONLY site to obtain your free credit reports as authorized by Federal law.
For more information on fraud, phishing and safeguarding your personal information, visit our Security Center at clearviewfcu.org. Here, we also update Recent Security Alerts when we find out about any risks that could affect members and others in our area.
While no one can directly prevent all attempts at identity theft, remaining alert and educated on the latest scams and best practices can go a long way in protecting yourself.
How To Regularly Monitor Your Credit Report
No matter your financial institution, it’s crucial to regularly review your credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian & TransUnion.Experts suggest you set up recurring reminders on your calendar to request one every four months. For example, check Equifax in April, Experian in August and TransUnion in December.
While there are many ways to review your credit report, annualcreditreport.com is a highly recommended, safe site. Actually, it’s the ONLY site to obtain your free credit reports as authorized by Federal law.
Consider a “Credit Freeze”
A credit freeze is more effective than anything offered by identity theft protection services. However, a credit freeze is usually not free (unless you have been already compromised), and it requires you to take actions any time you apply for credit. To help determine if a credit freeze is right for you, check out How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Security Freeze at krebsonsecurity.com.Other Ways to Protect Your Identity
- Do not casually dispose of hard drives, smartphones, USB drives, SD cards, etc. Rather, destroy them with something like a metal shredder to ensure they cannot be accessed by someone with harmful intentions.
- Consider getting rid of your land line. Many people utilize only a smartphone, which (still) receives far less scam calls than land lines.
- NEVER disclose personal information to someone who calls you. ONLY contact a company using information from their verified website.
For more information on fraud, phishing and safeguarding your personal information, visit our Security Center at clearviewfcu.org. Here, we also update Recent Security Alerts when we find out about any risks that could affect members and others in our area.
While no one can directly prevent all attempts at identity theft, remaining alert and educated on the latest scams and best practices can go a long way in protecting yourself.