The Better Business Bureau and other consumer agencies recommend that you exercise extreme caution with your vital data. To minimize your losses from identity theft the following is suggested:

• Minimize the amount of personal information a thief can steal. Don’t carry extra credit cards, your Social Security card, birth certificate, or passport.
• When using an ATM or public telephone, shield the screen or keypad so no one can read your personal identification number (PIN) or other data.
• Take ATM, credit card and other receipts with you - do not leave them on the counter or in a nearby waste basket. Save them in your personal files or destroy them in a way they cannot be read. A shredder is a very good investment - they can cost as little as $29.00.
• Cancel all unused credit card accounts. Even though you don’t use them, their account numbers are recorded in your credit report, which is full of data that can be used by identity thieves.
• Keep a list of all credit card numbers and expiration dates so, if stolen, you can contact credit companies quickly.
• Never give a card number or any other information over the telephone - or the Internet - unless you initiated the contact yourself.
• Do not give out your Social Security number or write it on your checks unless absolutely necessary.
• Any one can be a victim. Tony Gwynn was. So can you.

If you feel you have become a victim, it’s important to act immediately to stop the thief. Gerry Wilson, President of the Better Business Bureau, recommends: report the crime to the police; immediately call all your credit card issuers (to save you from liability from any fraudulent charges); and notify your bank(s) of the theft.

Buy a shredder to thwart the bad guys: use it for all vital information you place in the trash: checks used and unused, carbons of charged purchases including restaurant receipts, solicitations from credit card companies, and anything with your Social Security number on it. It’s a very inexpensive way to sleep at night.

FUND DRIVE EXTENDED THROUGH AUGUST. Donations to Neighborhood Watch and Emergency Preparedness are coming in slowly, and we thank all donors. We appreciate any help you can give us. Please make out checks to ‘San Diego Foundation’ and mail to Neighborhood Watch and Emergency Preparedness fundraising, 17110 Bernardo Center Drive, San Diego 92128. (You can write this off as a charitable deduction.) Help us make Rancho Bernardo an even safer place to live, and a place which can be prepared for any emergency.

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