As a
21-year-old victim of identity theft and a current student at the
University of Southern Maine, hearing about the recent phishing attempt at the
Orono Campus scares me. I’ve had first-hand experience about how prevalent
scams are and want to share some of the steps I have taken to keep my
information, and my money, safe from scammers.
Being
aware of where you make purchases and reporting any suspicious activity to your
bank and/or the Attorney General’s Office is a good start. This fall, my
debit card information was stolen. Because I review my statements each
month, I noticed charges that were unfamiliar to me including several purchases
at an out-of-state Dunkin’ Donuts. I cancelled my card and worked with my
bank to readjust the charges. Had I not been checking my statements, I
might not have been able to get my money back.
Most
importantly, I placed a freeze on my credit report. Turning on the freeze
is free in Maine and prevents identity thieves from accessing all the sensitive
information in your credit report. When the freeze is turned on, scammers
cannot obtain credit (loans, credit cards, etc.) in your name. Any Maine
resident (regardless of age!) can easily freeze and unfreeze their credit
report for FREE at any time. Just make sure your place a freeze on your credit
report with all three major credit bureaus.
The
AARP Fraud Watch Network has great resources and tools available at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork and you can sign up for free
scam alerts to stay ahead of the fraudsters. I’ve become a lot more
cautious of how I’m sharing personal info—online and offline – and I encourage
anyone reading this to place a credit freeze right away.
Meghan
Jellison
AARP
Maine Intern
South
Portland
207-485-3777
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