• To inspect your credit report, visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or write to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA. Everyone is eligible for one free report per year.

• Before you agree to home repairs, before giving your credit card to a telemarketer, or signing a contract for a major purchase, check the business out by called 1-877-ELDERS1 (1-877-353-3771).

• Get your phone number off telemarketers’ lists by calling the “National Do Not Call Registry” at 1-888-382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov.

• Find out more information about your legal right to opt out of an act that allows financial institutions to share your information with third parties at www.ftc.gov/privacyiniatives.glbact.html.

• If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, place a fraud alert on your credit reports and call one of these numbers: Equifax: 1-800-525-6282; Experian: 1-888-397-3742 or TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289. Close fraudulent accounts or ones that have been tampered. File a police report. And report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-438-4338.

• For other tips on avoiding victimization, go to www.Maine.gov/ag or www.ftc.gov/consumer. The number for the State’s Attorney General’s office is 207-626-8800.


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