Take care to avoid identity theft during holiday season

WITH THE HOLIDAYS upon us, people are out making purchases with their credit cards, debit cards, carrying more information with them than normal and leaving packages in their cars in plain sight. It is important to only carry information that is absolutely necessary and to not leave anything in your car that a thief might be able to get hold of. For instance, lock packages up in your trunk so they are out of sight, and take your car registration out of your glove box and take it with you or again lock it up in your trunk.

Also, only carry what you need. For it bi l dit d ith intend on using or bring only ... the necessary amount of cash you intend on spending. Take mail and packages directly into the post office. Contact a neighbor if you’re leaving for the holidays and ask if they will pick up your packages or have them delivered to their home.

So, what do you do if you are a victim of identity theft? Here are the recommended steps you should take immediately. Fill out a police report, close any accounts affected, put a credit freeze on your credit reports or a security freeze, pull a credit report, file a report with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission); fill out the ID theft affidavit from the FTC and the IRS ID theft affidavit (IRS form 14039), contact the IRS, Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490. You can also contact us, ID Theft Resolutions, New Mexico’s only nonprofit organization that helps victims of identity theft as a free service, at 505-417-1902 or visit our website at www.IDTheftResolutions.org. MARK MEDLEY Albuquerque