Credit Card, ID Theft Ring Busted

New York City officials said Thursday they broke up an international credit card and identity theft ring that caused more than $12 million in losses last year.

More than 35 people were indicted on enterprise corruption charges. So far, 22 suspects were arraigned in state Supreme Court in Queens.

The ring was based in the New York area with roots in Nigeria, police and prosecutors said. Suspects were accused of shipping stolen or illegally obtained credit cards to buyers around the world.

The investigation began in 2007 after a report of a large-scale theft of Citibank credit cards.

KEEPING YOUR IDENTITY SAFE 

Five things to do if your identity has been stolen:

1. File a police report at your local precinct and get a copy of the report.

2. Place a fraud alert on your credit repots by notifying the three credit reporting bureaus:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, equifax.com

Experian: 1-888-397-3742, experian.com

Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289, transunion.com

3. Ask the credit bureaus for a free copy of the report.

4. When you receive the reports, check to see if there are charges that shouldn't be there. If there are fraudulent charges you can dispute them. There is information about how to do this on the Federal Trade Commission's Web Site . 4. Close accounts that the thief has used.

5. File a report with the Federal Trade Commission which has additional information about identity theft on its Web site .

CREDIT CARD SAFEGUARDS

Never lend the card to anyone.

Never sign a blank charge slip. Draw lines through blank spaces on charge slips above the total so the amount can’t be changed.

Never put your account number on the outside of an envelope or on a postcard.

Always be cautious about disclosing your account number on the telephone unless you know the person you’re dealing with represents a reputable company.

Always carry only the cards you anticipate using to prevent the possible loss or theft of all your cards or identification.

Always report lost or stolen ATM and credit cards to the card issuers as soon as possible. Follow up with a letter that includes your account number, when you noticed the card was missing, and when you first reported the loss.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Social networking sites are a growing target for con artists. It is an easy way to cull personal information that can be used for fraudulent purposes.

FACEBOOK SECURITY THREATS

VIDEO: how to set alerts in Facebook so that you are notified if a group you belong to changes its name: