Share Your Personal Information Prudently
Be cautious
- If you cannot verify the identity of the person or business asking for your personal information, be very cautious about the transaction.
- If you do not understand why a certain piece of information is needed, think twice about the transaction.
- Be cautious of telephone and door-to-door solicitations.
Be skeptical
- Never provide personal or financial information unless you initiated the contact and you have confirmed the identity of the person or business.
- Be skeptical of offers that seem "too good to be true." They usually are.
Be suspicious
- Provide sensitive personal information like Social Security Number or account numbers only to people or businesses you trust, and who have legitimate reasons to ask for it.
- Be very suspicious of e-mails requesting your personal information for "account verification" or other reasons. Almost no legitimate companies do this. Never click on a link within such an e-mail; if you want to go to a site, type the Web address into your Web browser yourself.
