Mailpost

Your personal and business mail can be a gold mine to thieves looking to hijack their next victim’s identity. The sheer volume of sensitive information that travels through the mail makes us all incredibly vulnerable to identity theft. Here are three tips to protect yourself and to make it difficult for identity thieves to use your mail against you.

1. Shred it. Before you throw away mail or other documents, stop for a moment. Always tear or shred your sensitive documents including credit card applications or offers, receipts, insurance papers, checks, bank/financial account statements, expired or canceled cards. The same goes for anything that has your social security number (SSN), driver’s license number or account numbers. Use a shredder, preferably one that “cross-cuts”, but regardless of which type of shredder you use, shredding in itself will keep you ahead of the game.

2. Opt out. It is a good idea to opt out of receiving prescreened offers of credit and insurance in the mail because these offers can be dangerous if they get into the wrong hands. To stop these pre-approved offers, contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) which sell your contact information to credit issuers. Choose just one of the following two ways to do this – both are quite easy.

By phone. This is the recommended approach. All it takes is one phone call to 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) and you’ll notify all three credit reporting agencies. You will be asked to provide your SSN which the credit reporting agencies need to cross check with your credit file.
Web site. You can also use a web site (OptOutPreScreen.com) managed by a joint venture of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies above (plus a fourth called Innovis). This web site is sanctioned by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and is the only legitimate web site for this purpose. I have found that few people know about this site. It might be because many do not completely trust web sites (and there’s something about the design that makes it look suspicious). One problem I have with it is that the privacy notice is a bit vague. If in doubt, use the toll free number.

You can read more about the prescreen opt out programs on the FTC website FTC.gov. The opt out process has no effect on your credit score or your ability to obtain credit or insurance. Requests are processed within five days of receipt, but it could take up to two months before you stop receiving prescreened offers. This opt out does not apply to companies with which you already have a pre-existing relationship (or their affiliates). So you will continue to get offers from your own credit card company or a company they own. It is also possible to opt back in if you ever change your mind.

3. Protect it. Be careful both when depositing and receiving your mail. Drop your outgoing mail containing sensitive information in locked USPS collection boxes or at the post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Never leave sensitive outgoing mail in a mailbox with the flag up. This is a gift for thieves and that’s why at the Identity Theft Resource Center, where I volunteer, we call them “steal me” flags. Remove mail from an unsecured mailbox as soon as possible-every day if you can. Never have an order of checks mailed to your home. Have them sent to your bank and pick them up from there instead. If you have an outdoor mailbox, you might want to invest in a postmaster-approved locking mailbox. They are quite expensive, but you can find many options by doing a Google search for “locking mailbox”.

Tags: mailpost, peter kritas

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