Steps Individuals Can Take to Protect Personal Information

Monitoring: You should always remain vigilant and monitor your accounts for incidents of fraud and
identity theft by reviewing credit card account statements and monitoring your credit report for suspicious
or unusual activity. You can report suspicious activity to financial institutions or law enforcement.

Fraud Alert: You can place fraud alerts with the three major credit bureaus by phone and online as set
forth below with Equifax, TransUnion, or Experian. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain
procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing
accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to
obtain credit. Initial fraud alerts last for one year. Victims of identity theft can get an extended fraud alert
for seven years.

Credit Report: Consumers are also entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three credit
reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report: visit www.annualcreditreport.com; call, toll-free, 1-
877-322-8228; or mail a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to Annual Credit Report Request Service,
P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.

Security Freeze: You have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze is
intended to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent.
To place a security freeze on your credit report, you need to make a request to each consumer reporting
agency. You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, regular stamped mail, or by
following the instructions found at the websites listed below. The following information may need to be
included when requesting a security freeze: (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social
Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current and addresses for the past five years; (5) proof of address;
(6) Social Security Card, pay stub, or W2; or (7) government-issued identification card. It is essential that
each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. It is free to
place, lift, or remove a security freeze. You may also place a security freeze for children under the age of 16.
You may obtain a free security freeze by contacting any one or more of the following national
consumer reporting agencies:

Implementing an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) with the IRS: To help protect against a fraudulent
tax return being filed under your name, we recommend Implementing an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
with the IRS. An IP PIN is a six-digit number that prevents someone else from filing a tax return using
your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. The IP PIN is known only to
you and the IRS. It helps the IRS verify your identity when you file your electronic or paper tax return.
Even though you may not have a filing requirement, an IP PIN still protects your account.
If you don’t already have an IP PIN, you may get an IP PIN as a proactive step to protect yourself from
tax-related identity theft. The fastest way to receive an IP PIN is by using the online Get an IP PIN tool
found at: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin. If you wish to get
an IP PIN and you don’t already have an account on IRS.gov, you must register and validate your identity.
Spouses and dependents are eligible for an IP PIN if they can pass the identity verification process. Some
items to consider when obtaining an IP PIN with the IRS: (1) an IP PIN is valid for one calendar year; (2)
a new IP PIN is generated each year for your account; (3) logging back into the Get an IP PIN tool, will
display your current IP PIN; and (4) an IP PIN must be used when filing any federal tax returns during the
year including prior year returns. 

Federal Trade Commission: More information can be obtained by contacting the Federal Trade
Commission Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20580 1-
877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) www.ftc.gov/idtheft