Expats: How To Protect Your Identity

Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Vienna, Austria

Dear International Living Reader,

Since I moved to Vienna, Austria, two years ago, I've never borrowed money, and I seldom use my U.S. credit cards. A friend back home picks up my mail and forwards anything that looks important once or twice a month. And here, in my apartment overlooking the Danube, a review of my credit report is the last thing on my mind…

I should be more cautious: in 2005, more than nine million Americans had their identities stolen. Identity theft is a threat to all Americans. But, as an American overseas, I am at an even greater risk.

Since I--along with three million other Americans living overseas--don't apply for credit or use U.S. credit cards, I don't get the instant "feedback" I would if my request for credit--or credit card transaction--is rejected. I receive my mail only after a considerable delay, so may not be aware of a problem until weeks or months after it occurs. And, since identity theft is almost unheard of outside the U.S., it's easy to be lulled into a false sense of security.

Yes, identity theft is rare in Europe. Unlike the U.S., credit grantors and banks here are generally prohibited from using taxpayer identification or social security numbers to investigate an individual's credit-worthiness. In addition, strict laws prohibit disclosure of most financial information without the consent of the consumer.

Given this unfortunate situation (for Americans), what can you do?

In my case, I've arranged for all my U.S. credit card bills to be e-mailed to me. That way I know immediately if there have been any unauthorized charges. I also review my credit file regularly to make sure that it doesn't contain any unauthorized extensions of credit. Federal law requires credit bureaus to provide you with a free copy of your credit report annually. To request yours, tel. (toll-free) 1-877-322-8228. (Unfortunately, if you're living outside the U.S., this number won't be toll-free. You'll need to use a callback service that gives you a U.S. dial tone from which you can make calls to U.S. toll-free numbers.)

If you have a mailing address in Texas, California, Louisiana, or Vermont, you have another option:-- you can "freeze" your credit. This locks your credit file and prevents anyone from obtaining credit in your name.

If you don't have an address in any of these states, you can place a "fraud alert" on your credit file. This is a request to credit grantors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. Because it's not legally binding, a fraud alert is less effective than a credit freeze.

Even if you don't live outside the U.S., these strategies--along with never disclosing your social security number unless you're 100% certain the reason is legitimate--should help protect against identity theft.

If you are unfortunate to fall victim to this type of fraud, you'll find useful information at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft and http://www.idtheftcenter.org.

Mark Nestmann
For International Living

P.S. Want to know more about what you can do to protect yourself from identity theft and other threats to your wealth and privacy? Find out more here.

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Living well: further resources
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