Page 72 - Winning The Credit Game Bundle (CK Patrick)

60 THE CREDIT GAME

Since these imposters will not take hits to their own credit score as
a result of nonpayment, they will have no incentive to pay the bills
they rack up while using your identity. You can then be unpleasantly
surprised with negative marks on your credit score or calls from credi-
tors and debt collectors.
Avoiding identity theft means keeping your information safe. That
means not giving information that can be used to open accounts in
your name to people you don’t know well (or to anybody else if you can
help it), and being cautious when transmitting such data on the
Internet.
Pieces of information that can potentially be used by a stranger to
open a credit account in your name include:

Your full legal name
Your date of birth
Your phone number
Your Social Security Number
Any information about your past or current street addresses
Any information about your past or current loan history
Information about your pets, your mother’s maiden name,
or other questions that may be used as security questions for
your online accounts.

Because of these risks, be cautious of any individual or website that
asks for such information. Is it a trusted website that you are engaging
with for purposes of conducting business, such as the website of a
credit bureau or your existing bank or creditor?
The same goes for unsolicited phone calls. Never give any of this
information on the phone to a stranger who calls your telephone. If
someone calls claiming to be from a company you do business with
and asks for this information, it’s a good idea to hang up and call the
trusted phone number you have for that company to ask whether the
call was legitimate. In this way you may protect not only yourself, but
also protect others by helping the company become aware of scammers
who are impersonating them.