Red Flags program fights ID theft
Posted 10/15/09, by Skagit PUD | 0 Comment(s)
The expression “red flag” signals “Danger: Be alert to problems ahead.” For millions of consumers every year, identity theft is more than a threat—it’s their reality. The economic, psychological, and emotional harm to victims can be devastating.
But businesses often bear the biggest part of the monetary damage from identity theft.
It’s everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to fight identity theft. But businesses and organizations that offer credit or other financial services can be the first to spot the red flags that signal the risk of identity theft, including suspicious activity indicating that identity thieves may be using stolen information like names, Social Security numbers, account numbers, and birth dates to open new accounts or raid existing ones.
In compliance with new Federal Trade Commission regulations, Skagit PUD has developed a written “red flags program” to prevent, detect, and minimize the damage from identity theft.
The program includes a number of responses to red flags. These may include monitoring a customer’s account, closing an account, not opening a new account, contacting the customer when we spot a red flag, or a combination.
So, if one of our customer service representatives seems to be asking a few more questions than usual to verify identity when accessing your account, please understand that Skagit PUD is doing its part to help fight identity theft.
In compliance with new Federal Trade Commission regulations, Skagit PUD has developed a written "red flags program" to prevent, detect, and minimize the damage from identity theft.
The program includes a number of responses to red flags. These may include monitoring a customer’s account, closing an account, not opening a new account, contacting the customer when we spot a red flag, or a combination.
So, if one of our customer service representatives seems to be asking a few more questions than usual to verify identity when accessing your account, please understand that Skagit PUD is doing its part to help fight identity theft.