Criminals continue to exploit the many ways to access your personal and business financial accounts. Some ways you can protect yourself include: 

• Don’t place your bills with personal or business checks in unlocked out-going mail boxes
• Don’t allow your bank to mail replacement checks to unlocked mail boxes
• Empty your unlocked mail box in a timely manner
• Stop all mail while on vacation
• Report any suspicious activity noted around your mail boxes to the proper authorities

It is important for you to review your personal and financial information to ensure that no financial fraud has been perpetrated against you.   Below is an Identity Theft Victim checklist for your reference.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Bear Valley Police Department. Protecting our citizens is paramount and we value your comments. 

Identity Theft Victim Checklist

1. Call the Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union credit bureaus, and ask for a "fraud alert" to be put on your file. Ask them to include messages on your credit report indicating that no new credit should be granted without your personal approval.

2. Contact the security departments of the appropriate creditors or financial institutions for all accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened. Close these accounts, and, if you wish, open new ones to replace them. Choose a non-obvious password, and ask that it be required for any and all future changes to the account.

3. File a police report, either locally, or where the identity theft took place. You may need proof of the crime when dealing with creditors, so get a copy of the report, or the report number.

4. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) collects information on ID theft. They can be helpful in solving the crime, and they can provide additional advice. Call them at 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338.)