Resources

Prevent Identity Theft — Safeguard Your Personal Information

Who to Contact for Copies of your Credit Report:

Equifax
P.O. Box 105873
Atlanta, GA 30348-5873
Telephone: 1-800-997-2493

Experian Information Solutions
P.O. Box 949
Allen, TX 75013-0949
Telephone: 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
Telephone: 1-800-916-8800

• Contact all creditors, by phone and in writing, to inform them of the problem.
• Call your local police or sheriff’s office to report the problem.
• Contact the Federal Trade Commission to report the problem.
• Call each of the three credit bureaus’ fraud units to report identity theft. Ask to have a ‘Fraud Alert/Victim Impact’ statement placed in your credit file asking that creditors call you before opening any new accounts.
• Alert your banks to tag your accounts and contact you to confirm any unusual activity.
• Keep a log of all your contacts and make copies of all documents. You may also wish to contact a private or consumer advocacy group regarding illegal activity.
• Contact the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline.
• Contact the state office of the Department of Motor Vehicles to see if another driver’s license was issued in your name. If so, request a new license number and fill out the DMV’s complaint form to begin the fraud investigation process.

Prevent Abduction

In the United States, thousands of children are reported missing each year. There is nothing that devastates parents, friends, and a community more than child abduction or the attempted kidnapping of a child. Here are a few tips that we hope prevent this from happening to your family:

Parents:

• Know where your child is at all times.
• Never leave a young child alone at home or in a car.
• Make sure your child knows his or her full name, address and telephone number.
• Make sure your child knows where you work, and your contact information.
• Know your child’s friends and where they live.
• Teach your child about strangers. Tell him or her to never talk, take candy, or go with a stranger without your consent.
• Make sure your child knows never to get into a stranger’s car.
• Tell your child that if approached by a stranger, run and scream.
• Let your child know that no one has a right to touch any part of his or her body that a bathing suit would cover.
• Inform your child to report to you, a police officer or school authority, anyone that exposes his or her private parts to them.
• Report to the police immediately, if your child informs you that they were lured or assaulted by a stranger.

Children:

• Never go to a friend’s home without informing your parents where you are going and when you will return.
• Never talk to strangers.
• Never take candy or gifts from strangers.
• Never wander off when with parents or in a group.
• Move away from a vehicle that pulls up next to you, if you do not know the driver.
• Scream and run away from any stranger that calls you to a vehicle or attempts to touch you.
• Be suspicious of any stranger asking for assistance (including directions).
• Try to remember what the stranger looks like, as well as the vehicle and license plate number.
• Immediately inform parents or police of any strangers that attempt to call you to a vehicle.