TIPS TO HELP YOU PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY, OBTAIN CREDIT REPORTS

 and DEAL WITH IDENTITY THEFT
By Diane L. Drain, Attorney at Law
www.DianeDrain.com

Marketing Lists: You may limit the marketing material you receive through the mail, by telephone or by e-mail. If you would like to reduce the amount of advertising you receive from other companies, write to the Direct Marketing Association at the appropriate address below.  You must provide your name, address and telephone number with your request:

Identity Theft:  If someone has used your personal identification to fraudulently establish credit, report the incident as quickly as possible to each of the credit reporting agencies and request that a fraud alert be placed on your file:

Experian          1-888-397-3742
Equifax            1-800-525-6285
Trans Union    1-800-680-7289

Obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the credit reporting agencies.  Check to see whether any additional accounts were opened without your consent or whether unauthorized charges were billed to your accounts.  To request copies of your credit reports call:

Experian          1-888-397-3742
Equifax            1-800-685-1111
Trans Union    1-800-916-8800

Contact the Social Security Administration's Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271 to report the unauthorized use of your personal identification information.

Contact your State Department of Motor Vehicles to see whether the Department has issued an unauthorized license number in your name.  If so, notify them that you are a victim of identity theft.

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") by contacting the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline - 1-877-IDTHEFT; TDD: 202-326-2502; by mail: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.  Washington, D.C. 20580-0001 or online: www.consumer.gov/idtheft.  As for a copy of ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name, a free comprehensive guide to help you guard again, and recover from, identify theft.