CALIFORNIA BUSINESS MINUTE
ID Theft
12-10-07
Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.
Its getting close to the holidays and the corresponding shopping season. The California
Bankers Association has released five ways to help prevent by reducing exposure to ID theft.
Dont carry your Social Security card or print your Social Security number or drivers license
number on your checks. Pre-printing this valuable information on checks only makes it easier
for thieves to use your checks without your knowledge.
Get a mailbox that locks. This will prevent thieves from stealing incoming or outgoing mail with
important identifying information.
Carry only the credit card you intend to use and leave the others at home in a secure place. It
is easier to cancel a single credit card than all of your cards if your purse or wallet is stolen.
Watch anyone who swipes your credit card. Devices known as skimmers are sometimes
used by counterpersons to copy the identifying information off the magnetic strip of your credit
card onto a fake credit card later.
Check your credit report at least twice a year. Doing so will keep you aware of how your credit
is being accessed and by whom, making it easier for you to identify possible instances of identity theft.
I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.
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