Preventing Identity Theft

8 Easy Steps to Protect Your Personal Information

We have all heard stories, or seen commercials, about people who have had their identity stolen.  Not only was their identity stolen, but now they must deal with the problems associated with identity theft.  Besides the obvious fact that their identity was stolen, they oftentimes are then forced to deal with financial problems that the theft creates, namely debt and a poor credit rating.  Despite this, some people are still not worried about having their identity stolen!  It is important that we do not become complacent in protecting our personal information, as it is the gateway to identity theft.  

Luckily, there are several easy tips that we can take to ensure that we will not have to deal with the nightmare of identity theft. The following are 10 simple steps that anyone can take that will protect their personal information. 

• Don't give anyone your Social Security number unless you have initiated the contact.  If you are unsure, ask the person to send you a request by mail rather than asking for it over the telephone.
• Shred, or tear up, any documents with any identifying account numbers or personal infomation instead of simply throwing them away.  This includes junkmail an prescreened credit card offers.
• Keep your credit card and ATM receipts in a safe place until you've paid the credit card bill or balanced your checkbook.  Once you have done this, you can either tear them up or shred them.
• Don't leave your mail lyaying around.  Place bill payment envelopes inside a postal mailbox rather than inside of your home mailbox, where someone has easier access to take them.
• Reduce the circulation of your information throught he mail.  In order to do this, you can stop presecreened credit offers from arriving in the mail by calling 1-888-5OPTOUT or by visiting http://www.optoutprescreen.com. http://www.optoutprescreen.com
• Keep your computer security software updated, and be sure to oly give out your credit card number on secured websites.
• Review credit card statements and telephone bills for any unauthorized use, as this is a warning sign for identity theft.
• Don't get hooked by "phishing" schemes.  Phishing occurs when someone tries to get your personl information such as usernames, passwords, credit cards, or account numbers by disguising themselves as a trustworthy entity.

Although these tips seems to be common sense, each year thousands of people becomes victims of identity theft and are forced to face the devastation of their finances.   

For more information on how you can protect your identity and protect yourself from fraud, stay tuned for the Mindful Money column this month, or simply click here to view related articles. 

The Center for Financial and Consumer Outreach is co-sponsoring an event entitled "Investing in 2012" on Monday, November 14, 2011 at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College.  The event will begin at 7:00PM and will be held in the Sam P. Black III Conference (180) in the Jack D. Burke Center.

The panel includes experts in the Finance field, including several faculty members of the Sam & Irene Black School of Business, as well as professionals from the community.  Each panelist will take time to present on topics that they feel are most important for investors to know in the coming year, including: IRAs, risk aversion, and hot sectors of the market.

This is a free event open to all in the community who wish to better understand what to expect in the coming year. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, please click here.

Last month, the Center for Financial and Consumer Outreach partnered with both Marquette Savings Bank and the Erie General Electric Credit Union on two separate events, in addition to the Center's other outreach. 

On Thursday, October 20th, the CFCO joined forces with Marquette Savings Bank for "Get Smart About Credit," an initiative carried out with students enrolled in the CHAMPS program in Erie.  This program was presented at ten different schools, reaching approximately 450 students from Erie! Volunteers from Marquette taught students lessons on financial literacy topics including: budgeting, credit, saving and spending.  

The CFCO also partnered with the Erie General Electric Credit Union to bring the program Mad City Money to nearly 100 students from the greater Erie area.  On October 25, these students came together at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College to participate in this program, which simulated real-world financial situations that they will encounter in their future. 

Students were given an identity that included a monthly income, family, and debt.  With this information, they had to make a series of financial decisions taking into consideration the information that they were provided.

A new resource page is being added to the Center for Financial and Consumer Outreach's website.  It will be called "Parent Corner." On this page, resources and information will be provided for parents who wish to help educate their children on financial literacy topics.  One major feature is the option to participate in a free webinar that is designed to help parents raise money-smart kids. Look for this new page update, and more, in the coming months!

If you are interested in learning more about the CFCO's financial literacy outreach programs, simply visit the link above, or click here.  In addition, there are samples of each presentation so that you can get a feel for what they include. Some programs also have informational videos for your viewing. Once you get to the site, simply click on the program that you would like to learn more about to view samples and additional information about that program. 

Also, if you are interested in requesting one, or more, of the programs, follow the link at the bottom of the page to the Program Request Form, or click here to view the form.

The Center for Financial and Consumer Outreach will once again be holding its High School Symposium Event in May of 2012.  On May 16th and 17th, hundreds of high school students from all over Western Pennsylvania will come together at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College to participate in  the 2nd Annual High School Symposium. This is an event you won't want your students to miss.

For more information on last year's event, Click Here.

For a letter from our Director as well as a detailed look at the outreach initiatives and programs that CFCO carried out last year, take a look at the 2010-2011 Annual Activity Report now available on the CFCO website.

For more information on the Annual Report, and to view a letter from our Director, Click Here.

If you have not already "liked" the Center for Financial and Consumer Outreach, you may want to in order to stay up to date on what the CFCO is doing.  New outreach initiatives, CFCO events, and the latest in financial news are all posted regularly on our Facebook page in an effort to keep consumers informed. 

To "like," search "The Center for Financial and Consumer Outreach," or click here. 

New! Innovative Educator

 A Monthly Spotlight on Innovative Educators  

This academic year the CFCO would like to recognize innovative educators who go above and beyond in terms of educating their students about financial literacy topics. Each month this column will spotlight a different educator, who will not only receive the recognition in the CFCO's e-newsletter, but also a $10 Fandango gift card and a certificate for their achievement. 

The CFCO recognizes that teachers work very hard with limited resources, and as a result those who go above and beyond should be recognized. We are now seeking nominations for any educators that you feel are deserving of some extra recognition due to their commitment to educating their students about financial literacy topics, as well as their innovative approaches to implement financial education in their classrooms.  You may nominate an educator, or if you are an educator, you may nominate yourself for this award.

Please email all nominations, including a short description of why your nominee should be recognized to cfco@psu.edu.

In November, the CFCO will have two financial experts provide articles about two different financial topics. Katrina Boyer, a Consumer Group Coordinator with the Pennsylvania Department of Banking, will discuss the importance of preventing identity theft as well as ways that you can protect your own identity, in honor of November being Identity Theft and Fraud Prevention Month.

In addition, Rick Hedderick, an associate professor of Finance at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, will be lending his expertise on the topic of Investing.  He will discuss topics that consumers will need to know, as well as what to expect when it comes to investments in 2012. 

For more information on this month's experts, visit the CFCO's Ask-an-Expert page, or simply click here.  Look for their articles in the next issue of Mindful Money near the end of the month!

If you have not yet subscribed, and would like to begin receiving the monthly Mindful Money e-feature,simply click here.

Contact Us

Erica Jackson, Director

ekj2@psu.edu

(814)-898-6784

Megan Wolf, Graduate Assistant

mew5212@psu.edu

(814)-898-6553

Amanda Shields, Intern

ars5458@psu.edu

Quick Links

Register Now

Archived e-newsletters

CashCourse

S3 Online Game

Facebook

CFCO Homepage

Our new website is equipped with everything that you need to set out on the road to becoming financially savvy!

On our new site, you will find links to current financial news, a background on our center, a list of our current programs complete with a program request form, and our contact information.

Join the Conversation!

This month is Identity Theft and Fraud Prevention Month, so we want to know: 

Do you take steps to protect yourself from falling victim to identity theft, such as shredding documents that contain personal infomation on them?

Vote Here

Additional Resources

CFCO's Financial Calculators:

Saving for a Goal

Back to School Budget

My Bonus After Taxes

Save A Million Dollars

Mortgage Payment

For more information and more financial calculators, visit the CFCO's website here.