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Protect Yourself againstIdentity Theft

December 03, 2012

Whether they're snatching your purse, diving into yourdumpster, stealing your mail, or hacking into yourcomputer, they're out to get you. Who are they?Identity thieves.

Identity thieves can empty your bank account, maxout your credit cards, open new accounts in yourname, and purchase furniture, cars, and even homeson the basis of your credit history. If they give yourpersonal information to the police during an arrestand then don't show up for a court date, you may besubsequently arrested and jailed.

And what will you get for their efforts? You'll get theheadache and expense of cleaning up the mess theyleave behind.

You may never be able to completely prevent youridentity from being stolen, but here are some stepsyou can take to help protect yourself from becoming avictim.

Check yourself outIt's important to review your credit report periodically.Check to make sure that all the information containedin it is correct, and be on the lookout for anyfraudulent activity.

You may get your credit report for free once a year.To do so, contact the Annual Credit Report RequestService online at www.annualcreditreport.com or call(877) 322-8228.

If you need to correct any information or dispute anyentries, contact the three national credit reportingagencies:

1. Equifax: www.equifax.com(800) 685-1111

2. Experian: www.experian.com(888) 397-3742

3. TransUnion: www.transunion.com(800) 916-8800

Secure your numberYour most important personal identifier is your Social

Security number (SSN). Guard it carefully. Nevercarry your Social Security card with you unless you'llneed it. The same goes for other forms ofidentification (for example, health insurance cards)that display your SSN. If your state uses your SSN asyour driver's license number, request an alternatenumber.

Don't have your SSN preprinted on your checks, anddon't let merchants write it on your checks. Don't giveit out over the phone unless you initiate the call to anorganization you trust. Ask the three major creditreporting agencies to truncate it on your creditreports. Try to avoid listing it on employmentapplications; offer instead to provide it during a jobinterview.

Don't leave home with itMost of us carry our checkbooks and all of our creditcards, debit cards, and telephone cards with us all thetime. That's a bad idea; if your wallet or purse isstolen, the thief will have a treasure chest of new toysto play with.

Carry only the cards and/or checks you'll need for anyone trip. And keep a written record of all your accountnumbers, credit card expiration dates, and thetelephone numbers of the customer service and frauddepartments in a secure place--at home.

Keep your receiptsWhen you make a purchase with a credit or debitcard, you're given a receipt. Don't throw it away orleave it behind; it may contain your credit or debitcard number. And don't leave it in the shopping baginside your car while you continue shopping; if yourcar is broken into and the item you bought is stolen,your identity may be as well.

Save your receipts until you can check them againstyour monthly credit card and bank statements, andwatch your statements for purchases you didn't make.

When you toss it, shred itBefore you throw out any financial records such as

Two types of identitytheft

• Account takeover iswhat happens when athief gets your existingcredit or debit cards (oreven just the accountnumbers and expirationdates) and goes on ashopping spree at yourexpense

• Application fraud iswhat happens when athief gets your SocialSecurity number anduses it (along with otherpersonal informationabout you) to obtain newcredit in your name

Page 1 of 2, see disclaimer on final page

Prepared by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. Copyright 2012

Securities, Investment Advisory Services and Financial Planning Services through qualified Registered Representatives of

MML Investors Services, LLC., Member SIPC. Supervisory Office: 530 Fifth Ave., 14th Fl. ? New York, NY 10036 ? 212.536.6000

Sentinel Solutions, Inc. is not an affiliate or subsidiary of MML Investors Services, LLC or its affiliated companies.

Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. does not provide investment, tax, or legal advice. The information presented here is notspecific to any individual's personal circumstances.

To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purposeof avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or herindividual circumstances.

These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believedto be reliable—we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information in these materials may change at any timeand without notice.

credit or debit card receipts and statements,cancelled checks, or even offers for credit you receivein the mail, shred the documents, preferably with across-cut shredder. If you don't, you may find thepanhandler going through your dumpster was lookingfor more than discarded leftovers.

Keep a low profileThe more your personal information is available toothers, the more likely you are to be victimized byidentity theft. While you don't need to become ahermit in a cave, there are steps you can take to helpminimize your exposure:

• To stop telephone calls from nationaltelemarketers, list your telephone number with theFederal Trade Commission's National Do Not CallRegistry by calling (888) 382-1222 or registeringonline at www.donotcall.gov

• To remove your name from most national mailingand e-mailing lists, as well as most telemarketinglists, write the Direct Marketing Association at1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY10036-6700, or register online atwww.dmachoice.org

• To remove your name from marketing listsprepared by the three national consumer reportingagencies, call (888) 567-8688 or register online atwww.optoutprescreen.com

• When given the opportunity to do so by your bank,investment firm, insurance company, and creditcard companies, opt out of allowing them to shareyour financial information with other organizations

• You may even want to consider having your nameand address removed from the telephone bookand reverse directories

Take a byte out of crimeWhatever else you may want your computer to do,you don't want it to inadvertently reveal your personalinformation to others. Take steps to help assure thatthis won't happen.

Install a firewall to prevent hackers from obtaininginformation from your hard drive or hijacking yourcomputer to use it for committing other crimes. This isespecially important if you use a high-speedconnection that leaves you continuously connected to

the Internet. Moreover, install virus protectionsoftware and update it on a regular basis.

Try to avoid storing personal and financial informationon a laptop; if it's stolen, the thief may obtain morethan your computer. If you must store suchinformation on your laptop, make things as difficult aspossible for a thief by protecting these files with astrong password--one that's six to eight characterslong, and that contains letters (upper and lower case),numbers, and symbols.

"If a stranger calls, don't answer." Opening e-mailsfrom people you don't know, especially if youdownload attached files or click on hyperlinks withinthe message, can expose you to viruses, infect yourcomputer with "spyware" that captures information byrecording your keystrokes, or lead you to "spoofs"(websites that replicate legitimate business sites)designed to trick you into revealing personalinformation that can be used to steal your identity.

If you wish to visit a business's legitimate website,use your stored bookmark or type the URL addressdirectly into the browser. If you provide personal orfinancial information about yourself over the Internet,do so only at secure websites; to determine if a site issecure, look for a URL that begins with "https"(instead of "http") or a lock icon on the browser'sstatus bar.

And when it comes time to upgrade to a newcomputer, remove all your personal information fromthe old one before you dispose of it. Using the"delete" function isn't sufficient to do the job; overwritethe hard drive by using a "wipe" utility program. Theminimal cost of investing in this software may saveyou from being wiped out later by an identity thief.

Be diligentAs the grizzled duty sergeant used to say on atelevised police drama, "Be careful out there." Theidentity you save may be your own.

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