Dealing With Identity Theft

Crimes related to identity theft are on the rise. Over 86,000 identities are reported stolen each year. It takes on average 18 months before someone figures out that their identity has been stolen. It costs up to $10,000 to fix the damage caused when this occurs.

To protect yourself:

Do not put credit applications or documents with social security numbers into the garbage without shredding them.

Do not put outgoing mail into your mailbox.

Check your credit 2-3 times per year or sign up for credit monitoring.