Greene County News Report
XENIA – Members of the Greene County Retired Teachers Association learned about protecting their identity during their recent meeting.
Mark Biddinger, an accountant for Cedarville University, gave general information, information on how to reduce your risk for identity theft, and information on what to do if someone has stolen your identity. General information points included: Do not carry your Social Security card with you; identity theft is someone obtaining your personal information (Social Security number, credit card number) without your permission; and warning signs that someone might have stolen your identity, such as mistakes on your accounts, notices from IRS, calls from debt collectors for debts not yours and calls about accounts in your minor child’s name.
To reduce your risks: Read your bank, credit, and account statements; order a credit report every 12 months; protect your personal information by shredding out-of-date personal information in a cross-cut shredder; and create strong passwords, including using no real words.
If you discover your identity has been stolen: Call the companies where you know fraud has occurred, freezing those accounts; change your passwords and PINs; get a free credit report right away from one of the three credit bureaus; complete the FTC’s online complaint form and they will send you an Identity Theft Affidavit; contact your bank to set up new accounts; and file a report with your local police department and ask for a copy of that police report.
In other news, Gale Adkins is taking the position of second vice president of western Ohio for the Ohio Retired Teachers Association and Jim Beaver is the new GCRTA membership chair, replacing Adkins.
All retired Greene County educators are welcome to become members of GCRTA. Its next lunch meeting will be held 11:30 a.m. Feb. 24, 2016 at the United Methodist Presbyterian Church, 343 Ankeney Mill Road, Xenia.
