Protecting Your Identity

Problem:
According to the Consumer Sentinel, identity theft is the fastest growing type of financial fraud. Last year there were more than 431,000 reported cases in the U.S. that resulted in close to $700 million in fraud with a median payment of $350 dollars.

Response:
In cooperation with service organizations and clubs, information was provided to individuals about protecting their identity that included topics about credit card protection, social security number protection, and annual credit report information. These sessions provided an opportunity for participants to learn about ways to protect themselves and to share their own experiences with this crime.

Impact:
One Hundred and forty-five people attended sessions in four counties and participants’ comments were uniformly positive. Many participants reported that they were going to change some of their behaviors including:

• Accessing their credit reports
• Closing unused credit accounts
• Being more careful about giving their social security number information
• Asking how social security number information will be used
• Making sure only to use credit card information on secure Web sites

Some of the comments about the class include:

• I’m going to be much more careful about who I give my personal information to.
• I went ahead and filled out the information sheet at the beginning of class without even thinking about it. I will ask more questions in the future.
• Excellent program!

Contact:
Mary M. Weinand
Family Resource Management Field Specialist
2606 West Burlington Ave.
Fairfield, IA 52556
Phone 641/472-4166
Email mweinand@iastate.edu

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