ME&MEE

You should always be cautious when responding to promotions and offers over the telephone. Identity thieves often create phony promotional offers to get you to give them your personal information. Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim:

Be wary of anyone calling you to “confirm” personal or financial information. Often, these are criminals trying to obtain those facts under the guise of “confirmation”.

Stop receiving unsolicited calls. You may do so by contacting the National Do Not Call Registry either by phone at 1-888-382-1222 or online. The registration is free of charge and is effective for five years.

Never give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or you are sure you know who you’re dealing with. Identity thieves are clever, and have posed as representatives of banks, Internet service providers (ISPs), and even government agencies to get people to reveal their Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, account numbers, and other identifying information.

Before you share any personal information, confirm that you are dealing with a legitimate organization. Call the company back using a phone number from a statement or from the telephone book (not a phone number the person who is calling gives you). You may check an organization’s website by typing its URL in the address line, rather than cutting and pasting it. Many companies post scam alerts when their name is used improperly. For more information, see How Not to Get Hooked by a ‘Phishing’ Scam.