You've got more to worry about than post-holiday bills in January, according to experts who say it's prime time for thieves to hit mailboxes in search of essential financial documents.
Usually, the thieves use these documents to commit identity theft. And once that's happened, it can take months, or even years, to sort out. January is especially risky because it's just about now that banks and other institutions start sending all the statements and forms you need to make your tax return. And they're vulnerable to any person who can break open your mail box.
To protect yourself, John Ulzheimer, consumer-education expert with www.Smartcredit.com, suggests taking these steps:
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Make a list of the documents you're expecting and the approximate date they're scheduled to arrive. If you haven't received all your documents by the end of January, call the appropriate institution and see if they sent it. If not, contact the three main credit bureaus --Equifax, Experian and TransUnion-- and ask for a report; Ulzheimer says that's free if you believe you have been the victim of fraud. When you get the reports, see if there have been any recent "inquiries" on your file - i.e. if someone has tried to find out whether you're credit worthy. If you see them and know you haven't, say, tried to buy a Lexus, contact the bureaus immediately. You might even want to 'freeze' your credit reports, Ulzheimer says, which will make them unavailable to any potential new creditors.
Go paperless. This bypasses the mail problem completely, and storing your documents in your computer may make them easier for you to find when it's time to do your taxes. If you worry about getting hacked, the experts emphasize that most identity thefts happen the old-fashioned way: by breaking open mailboxes and searching through garbage.
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Check your mailbox daily. Don't expose yourself to greater risk by forgetting to pick up a delivery that might contain important documents. The longer the documents are in a mailbox, the more vulnerable they are.
Check your credit reports even after you've got all the documents you need. Take a look at the reports in February or March so you can tell if someone got your information without your knowing. Sometimes thieves wait for a while, until you've stopped looking for problems. You can get a credit report free once a year from each of the three credit bureaus by going to www.annualcreditreport.com.
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