Velocity will never contact you by email, text or phone to ask you to provide personal account information.
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information — such as your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other identifying information — without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.
Identity theft is serious. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years — and their hard-earned money — cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn’t commit.
Here are some ways to protect yourself:
- Write your work number on your checks, not your home number, and use initials and a P.O. Box instead of your home address.
- Memorize your PIN.
- Deposit mail in a USPS mailbox. Check your mailbox daily and shred unwanted offers.
- Use eStatements and online bill pay.
- Review monthly statements and report suspicious activity.
- Don’t respond to emails requesting personal information. No legitimate company (or credit union) will send you an email asking you to verify or send personal information in reply.
- Update virus protection software regularly.
- Review your credit reports annually.
- Opt out of mailing lists.
- Do not download files or click on links sent by people you don’t know, and use a secure browser with a firewall.
- Do not store financial information on your laptop.
- Before you dispose of a computer, delete personal information.
- Guard your Social Security Number.
- Ask employers, creditors and businesses how they will use and secure your personal information.
- Keep all surplus checks, infrequently used credit cards and important personal documents in a secure location.
- Cancel and destroy unused credit cards.
- Check your free yearly credit reports.
If you think your identity has been stolen, here’s what to do now:
1. Contact the fraud department of any of these major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file:
Equifax
www.equifax.com
Order report, call: 800.685.1111
Report fraud, call: 800.525.6285
TDD 800.255.0056
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian
www.experian.com
Order report, call: 888.397.3742
Report fraud, call: 888.397.3742
TDD 800.972.0322
P.O. Box 9532
Allen TX 75013
TransUnion
www.transunion.com
Order report, call: 800.888.4213
Report fraud, call: 800.680.7289
TDD 877.553.7803
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
2. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
Use an identity theft affidavit when disputing new unauthorized accounts.
3. File a police report.
Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
4. File your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps them learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so they can better assist you.
Got a Velocity Mastercard? Enroll in our free Mastercard ID Theft Protection.
The Velocity Mastercard comes with complimentary white-glove identity theft protection services to help detect and resolve identity theft events 24/7. Cardholders also get access to one-bureau credit monitoring as well as protection against knowledge-based takeover events.
Learn More