GREENSBORO, N.C. — Identity theft. It's not a matter of if, but when it happens. It can be something small like a charge on your credit card you didn't make or it can be big, like finding out you have a loan for a car you never bought. Either way, you should take action to help prevent more fraud issues.
"Once your info is out there, and let's face it..it's a matter of when, not if, and you're compromised, if you can, take your time to freeze your credit. Do a check of your credit report and see what's on there," said Mark Barker, Financial Crimes Detective for the Winston-Salem Police Department.
When it comes to what you can do every day to prevent ID theft:
Don't leave checks to pay bills in your mailbox. The flag up basically tells thieves there is something to steal.
Don't throw out your mail. Credit card offers, bank statements or anything with personal information on it is a way for thieves to piece together enough information to steal your identity and open up lines of credit in your name.
What should you do with all those documents? You should shred them, but here's my warning, if your shredder makes your papers into strips, the shredding is not protecting you. Thieves who dumpster dive only need to put together your strip shreds.
To protect your identity, you need a cross-cut shredder it's much harder to put those pieces together. Even better, let a professional shredder do the work for you, for free.
Get your three boxes or bags of documents and paperwork together and come to the WFMY News 2 Shred-A-Thon. It's next Tuesday, May 14 from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Greensboro Coliseum.