As holiday bills come in, closely check credit charges against your receipts

Let me start with wishing everyone a Happy New Year, that it may be filled with lots of good health and happiness. As my Mom used to say, with good health you have everything, so may that be the No. 1 priority for all.

The holidays are nearly over, we overate and shopped till we drop. Now, let's turn to something we need to be very careful about: credit cards.

With all the shopping that we did during the holidays, we need to make sure that our cards were not compromised. So when the bills start coming in, pay close attention to the charges and I hope you kept all the receipts so you can match those charges!

Once again, I want to provide you with information in case you feel that you have become a victim of identity theft. Here is what you need to do immediately:

▪ Close accounts you know or believe have been tampered with.

▪ File a police report and submit it to your creditors and others who may require proof of the crime.

▪ Contact the fraud department of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file.

▪ File your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. You can also call the FTC hot line: 877-IDTHEFT.

▪ Order your credit report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to get one free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once per year. You can get their names at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.

▪ Correct all mistakes on your credit report in writing. Send a letter to the credit reporting agency identifying the problems item by item. Include a copy of the credit report and send the letter with a return receipt requested.

▪ Make a copy of all your credit card account numbers and bank account numbers and keep it in a safe place.

This past year was truly challenging for many of us, but by working together, staying informed and being involved we can continue to meet the challenges before us in 2017. I hope to continue providing you with the necessary information to help resolve issues that affect your area. No concern is too little, so feel free to reach out to your local law enforcement or to our office for guidance.

To those that have chosen to implement Neighborhood Watch, I congratulate you because you are making a difference by working together with your police officers. Little by little, a block at a time, you are helping to keep the crime in check in your area.

In closing I want to say “thank you” to all the readers who have helped in making the Crime Watch column so popular. It is hard to believe that next month I will be starting my 11th year writing this column. You the readers have contributed so much with your suggestions, your personal incidents and emails. Many of you have stated in more than one occasion “this column” has helped you not become a victim. We may not always agree on some issues, but I try very hard to give you the tools necessary so that you may get involved in strengthening our community. Once again, thank you for your support. Have a safe week!

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 10:51 AM with the headline "As holiday bills come in, closely check credit charges against your receipts."