Rio Grande Valley Leads Nation in Identity Theft Complaints

Brownsville-Harlingen Ranks No. 1; Other South Texas Cities in Top 10

DALLAS, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to the Federal Trade Commission's recently released Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book; the Brownsville-Harlingen area once again topped the list of large metropolitan areas for most identity theft complaints in 2009. Brownsville-Harlingen has claimed this dubious honor the last two years.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area moved up two spots from last year to second place. Laredo and Corpus Christi were the other Texas cities in the top 10 at numbers three and eight, respectively.  Click on the following link to view the entire report: http://ftc.gov/sentinel/reports/sentinel-annual-reports/sentinel-cy2009.pdf.

Texas CPAs offer the following tips so South Texas citizens can better protect themselves from identity theft:

Tip #1: Do away with pre-screened credit card offers.

You see junk mail; thieves see an opportunity to raid your finances. You can opt out of receiving pre-screened credit card offers by calling 1-888-5OPTOUT.

Tip #2: Check your credit report regularly.

Order a free credit report at least once a year from each of the three credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Just go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 877-322-8228. You can space it out to get one copy of your credit report every four months and review them carefully for any unauthorized address changes and new accounts that you didn't open.

Tip #3: Treat mail with care.

Don't put bill payments in your home mailbox for pick-up by the mail carrier. Instead, drop them off at the post office. Or, consider installing a locked mailbox or using a post office box. If you're going out of town, be sure to contact the U.S. Postal Service and request a vacation hold on your mail.

For more identity theft prevention tips and a compilation of online resources, visit TSCPA's consumer financial literacy Web site at www.ValueYourMoney.org

ABOUT TSCPA

TSCPA (http://www.tscpa.org) is a nonprofit, voluntary, professional organization representing Texas CPAs. The society has 20 local chapters statewide and has 28,000 members, one of the largest in-state memberships of any state CPA society in the United States. TSCPA is committed to serving the public interest with programs that advance the highest standards of ethics and practice within the CPA profession.

SOURCE Texas Society of CPAs