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Residents Cut Into Identity Theft

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By SUE ANASTASIA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

BRANDON - M&I Bank sponsored "ShredFest" in Brandon last week as local residents, organizations and businesses took advantage of the bank's invitation to safely dispose of sensitive documents to prevent identity theft.

An industrial-sized precision shredder was provided by Curlie Joe's, a document disposal service.

"The beginning of a new year is a great time to take inventory of personal account information lurking around the home or office. Most people don't realize just how easy it can be for someone else to access their information," said Annette Bellows, M&I's market manager for Hillsborough County.

"People are even more surprised to learn that identity theft crimes are often committed by people they know, so it is extremely important to pay attention to how documents containing personal information, such as a Social Security number, are disposed," Bellows said. Bellows and other bank representatives were on hand to give participants tips on how to keep their personal information safe and tell them common ways thieves gain access to personal information. That information can be used to open accounts or set up transactions in a different name.

"Everyone needs to be educated on how best to protect themselves, and as more and more people transition to tracking and maintaining personal banking information online, it's extremely important to be aware of the tools that are available," Bellows said.

M&I offered 10 tips to keep personal information safe:

•Your best protection is to limit your paper trail by viewing all bank statements and canceled checks online. Online account information is password protected and requires that you sign on each time you visit your account.

•Don't carry your Social Security card with you. If asked for your number, ask why it's needed.

•Shred documents with personal information before discarding.

•Never respond to e-mails requesting personal or confidential information.

•Install the latest security updates and patches available for your Microsoft operating system.

•Request a free copy of your credit report once a year at annualcreditreport.com and verify it for accuracy.

•Limit the information companies share about you. Call the National Credit Reporting Agencies at 1-888-567-8688 to learn more.

•Don't share user names and passwords, and occasionally change passwords.

•Install and maintain anti-virus and firewall software. Contact your Internet service provider for information.

•Never open or download attachments from unverified sources.

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