A paper shredder is not that expensive and is a worthwhile investment for any home or business.  Here is a list of papers that should be shredded and not just thrown in the trash.

• Old Tax Returns–you should save your tax returns for at least three years but after that time, it is safe to destroy them.  When you keep them, they should be kept in a firebox.  What an identity theft is looking for is not just your name and address but your Social Security numbers.  This includes your dependent’s numbers also.
• Bank Statements–any papers with your bank account numbers should be shredded.  If you do not need to receive bank statements, opt for online bank statements via email.
• Credit Card Offers–if you are not going to take the bank or credit card company up on their offer, shred them right away.  People do not like to think about it but identity theft does happen within family members.  Some family member could fill these out and open an account in your name.
• Old Photo ID’s–this includes any old security badges from previous workplaces or school ID’s.  A photo ID is not enough to steal your information by itself but it does contain personal information.  It could be used as part of a bigger identity theft scheme in order to bypass some fraud prevention measures.
• Pay Stubs–many people may not realize it but that pay stub is loaded with personal information that could be used by a skilled identity theft.  It has your name and many times your Social Security number. If you use direct deposit, it will also have the name of your bank and maybe part of your account number.
• Credit Card Convenience Checks–some credit card companies will send their cardholders these types of checks.  They can be used to borrow against the line of credit that you have for quick cash.  If you do not plan to use them, shred them immediately.
• Canceled Checks–even if you write void on a canceled check still has personal information on there.  There are your routing and account numbers on the bottom of the check.  Some people make sure that their checks have their name, address, and phone number on it.  Some will even have their phone number and Social Security number printed on the check.  In the info line, you may have even put an account number there and whom the number belongs too.
• Canceled Credit Cards–this includes any cards that you no longer plan on using.  Even the one that may have had the number stolen should be destroyed.  If you cannot put it through your shredder, cut through the magnetic strip, cut into four pieces, and put the pieces in different trash bags so they cannot be pieced back together and this is always a good credit protection practice.

In conclusion, if anything you are about to toss in the trash has any personal information on it, and then it should be shredded.  You do not want to become a victim of identity theft.

If you decide to freeze your credit repot these creditors and lenders cannot check your credit score or report unless you give the credit bureau a password.  Since most places will require a credit check before they will give a person a loan an application for credit will most likely denied if they do not have the correct password to check your credit score.  You can freeze your credit report with all 3 major credit bureaus.

If you already have credit with a company they can access your credit score and report without the password.  In addition, there are certain government entities and law enforcement agencies that can access your credit score and report.  Your credit score is not affected by the credit freeze.

Here are some reasons that you might want to freeze your credit report.

• If you have been a victim of identity theft
• If your credit card number has been stolen
• If your mail has been stolen or tampered with
• If you want to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft
• If you have subscribed to a credit monitoring service

In all but nine states there are laws requiring credit bureaus to allow security freezes on credit report.  In the nine states where there are not laws requiring this, the credit bureaus voluntarily allows you to freeze your credit report.  In many states the freezing of your credit report will remain in effect until you take it off but in some states it will expire after seven years.

The fees to put a freeze on your credit report, remove the freeze, replace your PIN. Or temporarily lift the freeze can range from five to twenty dollars.  There is no fee to freeze your credit report if you have been a victim of identity theft.  You do have to contact each credit bureau individually to put the credit freeze on your credit report.

Even if you check your statements every month you will not get any tips as to this happening but if you check your credit report you will see it.   This can be time consuming and expensive because most of the time it will cost you to get a copy of your credit report.  You can get free copies once a year but if you wait that long a lot of damage can already be done to your credit.

To help with this problem credit bureaus are offering an option that is called a credit or security freeze.  This credit or security freeze is just a hold that is put on your credit file at each of the credit reporting agencies which are three.  When this hold is placed on your credit file it helps to prevent potential creditors and credit card issuers from being able to see your credit history.  If they cannot see your credit history they will not issue any credit which means the identity theft will not be issued any credit in your name.

There is a fee for this service and it varies in each state.  On the average it can cost up to ten dollars for each credit reporting agency to open a credit or security freeze and from ten to twenty dollars for each one to remove it at a later date.  This adds up to sixty to ninety dollars for both actions.  If you are going to be applying for any type of credit in the near future it is not a worthwhile expense because you have to pay to have it put on, then pay to have it taken off before you apply for credit, and if you want to refreeze later that is more money.

This credit freeze does not protect you against any account fraud that already exists or someone stealing your social security number to gain employment but it does prevent potential employers from seeing your credit history.  You have to contact each agency separately to start the credit freeze.

You also have a right to get an identity theft report that is like a police report but does into more detail.  It should contain enough information that the businesses and credit reporting companies can verify that you are a victim.  It will also let them know just what information or accounts have been affected.

When you start to deal with the various credit reporting companies you have the right to put a ninety day initial fraud alert on your credit files.  You should do this if you think you are a victim or may become a victim of identity theft.  This alert just tells the users of your credit report that they must take steps to verify who is trying to get credit in your name.  To do this, all you have to do is contact just one of the credit reporting bureaus and they will contact the other two bureaus.

Make sure that you place a seven year extended fraud alert on your credit files if you know that you are a victim of identity theft.  When you place a ninety day initial fraud alert you will get one free copy of your credit report plus a summary of your rights from each bureau.

You also have the right to ask the credit reporting companies to block any fraudulent information from being on your credit report but before you can do this you must provide them with a valid identity theft report.  You also have the right to dispute any inaccurate or fraudulent information that you find on your credit report.  When you do the credit reporting company must investigate the dispute and fix your credit report when they find any fraudulent information.

In many states you have the right to use a credit freeze and restrict access to your credit report.  This will make it difficult for an identity theft to open any new accounts under your name.

You need to make sure your bank and credit card company have been contacted.  You should also contact at least one of the credit reporting agencies to report the fraud.  By law, they are required to notify the other two agencies.  They will also send you a free credit report.  Make sure that they put a fraud alert on your report.  You may also want to ask them if they can freeze any applications for credit until you tell them to remove it. In addition, make sure that you change your passwords and PIN number on all your accounts.
Identity theft is a federal crime so make sure that call your local police department to report the fraud.  Make sure that you ask to file a report listing all the accounts that were affected and all the illegitimate charges.  This report is very important in case creditor want to contest charges at a later date.

Once you get your credit report, make sure that you call all the banks and creditors that affected and have them close all the phony accounts immediately and have them make a notation that the account was fraudulent.  Also have them include in the notation that you were a victim of fraud.  Ask the banks to stop payments on any fraudulent checks plus notify the check verification companies.

If it is necessary, hire a lawyer to help you out.  Remember that you are a victim of identity theft and that you deserve the respect and support of the creditors.