8 ways for troops, families and veterans to fight identity theft

By: Karen Jowers, Army Times

Experts advise a number of steps to guard your personal information, including one option available to active-duty members:

1. Active-duty alert. Service members who deploy can request this alert be placed on their credit reports.
2. Initial fraud alert. If you’re concerned about identity theft but haven’t become a victim (your wallet has been stolen or lost, for instance), contact one of the three credit reporting bureaus for this free fraud alert. 
3. Credit freeze. This lets you restrict access to your credit report
4. Free credit reports. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228 to regularly check your credit report.
5. Protecting personal information. Don’t give out your Social Security number unless it’s necessary
6. Strong passwords. This is important on your financial accounts, especially if you access them from work or other computers
7. Immediate action. If you see a transaction you don’t recognize, contact that financial institution immediately.
8. Raise the red flags. Consider setting up alerts with your financial institution