This week has been designated "National Protect Your Identity Week."

As part of this national effort to raise awareness, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued this consumer alert to provide Arkansans with tips on how to better protect their identities and their financial integrity.

Although there is no way to make sure that your personal information is totally safe, everyone can take steps to avoid becoming a victim. It is equally important to know how to detect identity theft and what steps to take as a victim.

Prevention:

* Protect your mail by mailing bills from a secure location, and don't leave mail sitting in your mailbox for extended periods.
* Shred or otherwise destroy any statements, documents, or records, which contain personal information after they are no longer needed.
* Do not keep information that you don't need in your purse or wallet. Specifically, do not carry your Social Security card with you unless you know you will need it that day. Do not keep personal identification numbers attached to credit, debit or ATM cards.
* Store important information in a safe place in your home, and do not leave financial records lying around your house for prying eyes to see.
* Be safe online. Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly. Avoid using obvious passwords like your birth date, your mother's maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
* Never respond to an e-mail that asks you to transmit personal information over the Internet. Remember that your bank or credit card issuers already have your account numbers, PINs, access codes, passwords, Social Security number and other information they need. They won't e-mail you to ask for it.
* Beware of giving personal information over the phone. Know who you are dealing with and when in doubt, hang up and get the business's phone number from an independent source.

Detection:

* Monitor your bank and financial accounts carefully and on a regular basis.
* Request your credit report at least once a year. By law you are entitled to a free annual credit report from each of the three national credit bureaus--Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free report, click here or call 877-322-8228. Consider staggering the reports throughout the year, so that you get a credit report every three or four months instead of getting them all at one time. Carefully, check your report to look for any items that are not yours, such as accounts, inquiries, addresses, names, phone numbers, etc.
* Diligently monitor your mail. Failure to receive expected mail could mean trouble. Likewise, receiving unexpected mail such as a new credit card, a credit denial letter or collection notice, could also be an indicator of identity theft. Often, unexpected phone calls from debt collectors precede collection notices that you may receive in the mail.

What to do as a victim:

1. File a fraud alert with the three national credit bureaus.  Simply call one of the three bureaus to request the alert and they will alert the other two. Equifax-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 3037-0241;Experian-888-397-3742; www.experian.com, P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013; and TransUnion-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
2. File an identity theft report with your local law enforcement agency, or the agency where the crime was committed.  Get a copy of the report as soon as it is available.
3. Contact the creditor and advise them that you are a victim of identity theft.  Follow up with a written dispute regarding the fraudulent account or transaction.  You may be required to fill out a fraud affidavit and submit a copy of your law enforcement report.
4. File a complaint with the Attorney General's Office.  The Attorney General's Office can provide assistance to victims of identity theft.  The Attorney General's Office has an identity theft passport program, which is designed to assist identity fraud victims in re-establishing their good names.  In addition the Identity Theft Passport may help prevent a victim's arrest for other criminal offenses committed by the identity thief.
5. Consider requesting a Security Freeze on your credit report.  A victim of identity theft has the right to place a security freeze on his or her credit report free of charge.  In addition, people 65 years of age or older may place a security freeze on their credit report free of charge.  A security freeze will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent.
6. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces. You may file a complaint online (click here) or by phone at 877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).  

Click here for more information on identity theft and how to protect yourself.