FDIC Security Tips
Posted by Peter Mucklestone and Stuart Louie
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) recently released an on-line multimedia education tool that consumers can use to learn how to better protect their computers and themselves from identity thieves. The presentation also features actions consumers can take if their personal information has been compromised.
Some of the steps outlined in the presentation are as follows: never provide personal information in response to an unsolicited telephone or Internet request; never provide a password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request; review account statements regularly to ensure all charges and transactions are correct; and use a firewall and anti-virus and spyware protection software.
If consumers either suspect that their personal information has been compromised, or have been victimized by identity thieves, the FDIC says they should: contact the fraud department at one of the three major credit bureaus and ask that a fraud alert be placed in their file at all three companies; review their credit reports periodically and carefully look for inconsistencies or red flags such as accounts they didn't open, debts they can't explain or inquiries from companies they haven't contacted; contact the companies where the fraudulent activity occurred, and follow up any telephone calls in writing; file a police report with local police or the police department in the community where the crime took place and keep a copy of the report; and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
The presentation is on the FDIC's website. Financial institutions and others are encouraged to make the link available to their customers from their websites.
