Postal Service cracks down on identity theft

Identity theft is among this country’s fastest-growing crimes. It’s also an expensive one, amounting to billions of dollars each year lost by consumers who have had their identities stolen.

In previous columns, we focused on thieves who operate by way of the Internet. The Web is not the only place where would-be thieves lurk.

Last week, the U.S. Postal Service began getting out the word that each one of us is our own best “line of defense” against a crime that can take away many thousands of dollars and years of our time to rectify. Identity theft can negatively affect your credit rating, and thereby your ability to buy a house or car, perhaps get a job or even obtain medical care.

The post office warns that this can happen in ways we never imagined. And the agency is joining forces with the Federal Trade Commission to make sure that consumers know how to deter, detect and defend against those unscrupulous people who seek to rip off our personal information.

A recent survey by the FTC showed that only about 2 percent of all identity theft is perpetrated through the mail. An FTC pamphlet included in the post office mailing says the content of some letters should prompt you to act immediately. These include:

. Bills that do not arrive as expected.

. Unexpected credit cards or account statements.

. Letters about purchases you did not make.

When you receive your financial statements, check them carefully for purchases that are not yours. Of course, close any accounts that have been tampered with, and send documentation to the fraud or security departments of the company where an account was opened or changed without your approval.

There are a number of ways to help safeguard your identity. Keep your personal information someplace safe at home, especially if you have roommates, hire outside help or have work done in your house. Tear up or shred any financial documents, correspondence and other paperwork containing personal information. Plenty of stolen identities result from “dumpster diving” by thieves.

If you are denied credit for no apparent reason, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report. Under Maine law, everyone is entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the three credit reporting services (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Beware of other “services” that try to charge you a monthly fee to provide these reports; they’re yours for the asking. You can find your reports online at www.annualcreditreport.com. You can also print a copy of the request form at the Web site of the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, or you may request one from Northeast CONTACT.

If you haven’t checked your credit lately, request a report from one of the three now; make the same request from another service in four months, and make the third request four months after that. That way, you’ll get a year-round check of your creditworthiness.