Forging public safety partnerships through community-based training, the Florida RCPI is a joint effort between law enforcement, educational institutions and the community.
Have you become a victim of
Identity Theft?
Take this mini-quiz to see
if you might be a victim
UPCOMING ONLINE COURSE:
Challenges Facing Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and Financial Institutions in Responding to Identity Crime, will be part of the nationwide strategy designed to help consumers and law enforcement understand and respond to identity crime.
This course is being developed in partnership with the International Association for Chiefs of Police (IACP).
- Have you start getting collection calls/ or mail from collection agencies?
- Have you been denied credit?
- Have you stopped getting your regular mail from the postal service?
- Are you getting new bills for accounts you do not have or for services you did not authorize?
- Has your bank savings account balance or checking account balance dropped inexplicably?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, call your credit card company and/or bank to find out if your accounts have been compromised. Don’t wait!
Take control of your own identity
Follow these tips to protect yourself
from identity theft
- Get your annual free credit report from all reporting agencies at www.annualcreditreport.com (Hint: Make sure your printer has ample paper and ink before you access the link above)
- Organize your computer bookmarks so that you can easily e-check all of your accounts every business day. Make that a part of your routine (before breakfast, at lunch time or before going to bed).
- Keep a record of ALL of your accounts — including numbers and other account records — and personal information in a private place (including in a secured record on your computer). This includes your:
- Social Security number
- driver’s license number
- all credit card, debit card and ATM account information
- utility account numbers, etc. - Do NOT carry your original Social Security card with you.
- Always keep close physical track of your actual ATM usage, Credit reports, bills, debit cards and credit cards.
- When discarding any paperwork on accounts mentioned above, all items should be shredded or torn up completely. Credit card applications or other “special” offer paperwork received in the regular mail must be destroyed or shredded before discarding.
- If you pay bills via personal check and regular mail, do not write your entire account number on the check – just use the last four numbers of the account.
More helpful links regarding
I.D. theft:
Federal Trade Commission - watch I.D. Theft video
The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team Identity Theft Guide
University of Arizona Identity Theft - Power Point Presentation
Additional Resources for Preventing and Remedying ID Theft