Don’t be an easy identity theft target
Although some identity theft is electronic and sophisticated, most identity theft actually still takes place by dumpster diving and mail theft. So, depending on how secure your garbage can is, you may want to think twice about what you put in it. It is a great place for identity thieves to find a wealth of information about you.
Tips to prevent identity theft
Here are just a few tips and guidelines to follow for decreasing your chance of identity theft. While it seems that following some basic tips will prevent most chances of identity theft, if you are looking for a more thorough solution you can try a service like LifeLock.
Never E-mail Sensitive Information
My employer has drilled this into our heads over the last few years. They have said that email is as private as a postcard; a lot of eyes could see it before it gets to its destination. Whether or not that many eyes actually see our email, it is a good idea to err on the side of caution when using sensitive information.
So, whether at home or at work think about what gets typed into an email. Be wary of including account numbers, user names, passwords, Social Security or PIN numbers, or credit card information.
Pick good passwords
Choose user names, PINs and passwords that are difficult to guess. Don’t use your birthday, phone number or any other obvious personal data. They also say it is a good idea to type your log-in information each time you go online instead of letting your browser save it for you.
Limit Personal Information
Always use a healthy dose of skepticism with incoming calls or incoming emails. It that personal really from the company that they say they are? You shouldn’t disclose personal information over the phone or via e-mail unless you initiated the call or email.
Practice Internet Safety
You should try to avoid using public computers to review personal information and account details because simply closing your browser does not automatically clear the browser’s memory. The information stored in cache is still available until deleted.
Look for sites that offer Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. You can tell if a site uses SSL by checking to see if there is a locked padlock in the lower-right hand corner of your browser window. Also, when you log on to a secure site in the address bar you will see the, “http” change to “https.” These are good indicators that the site is secure.
Protect your identity with a shredder
Buy a shredder and destroy (or safely file) anything that has credit card information or your Social Security number.
Be cautious with Outgoing Mail
Deposit outgoing mail in the United States Post Office boxes rather than your home mailbox.
Get Your Credit Report
Review your credit reports from the three main credit bureaus (i.e., Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) at least annually. Federal law requires these credit bureaus to each give you a free copy once a year. If you really want to keep a close eye on your report, you could get one from each every four months.
I recommend using annualcreditreport.com. These guys make it easy to get all three once a year for free. Many other credit report websites will make it very difficult to get the free reports. If you notice that the information on one of your credit reports is inaccurate, contact the credit bureau to investigate.
Equifaxoffers a service where they monitor your credit report for you. If you don’t have time to monitor it or don’t feel like it, this could be a good option. I personally have not signed up with them yet, so I can’t attest to how good they are.
Check Your Statements
Watch for unusual purchases or transactions on your statements and report them immediately. Also, if your statement appears to have been opened and resealed, contact the issuing institution as once.
Use Antivirus Software
Make sure your antivirus software (Clamwin is a good free version) is up to date, turned on, and enable the firewall on your PC.
Review Privacy Policies
When applying for an account or ordering a product online, review the Web site’s privacy policy to make sure you are dealing with a reputable company who won’t sell everything they know about you to spammers-R-us.
Do you have any tips or tricks that you use to protect against identity theft?
If you suspect that you have become a victim of identity theft, call 1-877-ID-THEFT. Technorati Tags: identity theft | protection against identity theft
Related posts:
- Do you have any tips to get out of debt?
- 29 tips on getting out of debt from you!
- 3 tips for new college grads
- Tips for a first time home buyer?
- The safest bank in America – ING Direct
- What money tips do you have for newlyweds?
- 8 tips to save you money on your Christmas shopping
- Marriage tips to make it last
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I love your site! My husband and I are trying very hard to get out of credit card debt (bet you’ve heard that a million times!) We cut up all our cards in January and have budgeted every extra dime to get our balances and both cards gione by the end of 2008. Great info here! Thanks!
Identity theft is growing enormously because of the ease in which we allow it to be committed and the low risk of getting caught.
The credit agencies and other fraud alert services have everyone believing they are the end all to the solution and for $120 a year your identity will be safe.
Thieves are using stolen identities for stealing from existing bank accounts (credit monitoring won’t help here), when getting arrested (Fraud alert does nothing), obtaining medical services (credit report useless here as well), obtaining prescriptions (credit freeze didn’t help), subscribing to a cell phone service or a utility service and so on. Starting to get the big picture?
Many services you can do up front and proactively are free.
Have you opted out of those dangerous credit offers?
You know, the same one being stolen from mailboxes…www.optoutprescreen.com
Do you fill out chances for free drawings? These are great for ID thieves because you get pegged as an optimist and will likely end up on a marketing firms sucker list…the ones purchased by ID thieves…remember you gave them your contact info in case you “win”.
There is a lot you can do or better yet “stop” doing to reduce your risk of being a target.
The best defense against identity theft is self defense. Self defense starts with you!! And that is way more beneficial and best of all it is FREE!
@Stephanie
Great I am happy you like the site, but I am excited for you that you are on your way out of debt!!! You will love it at the end of the year when those balances are $0!!
@Michael
Great comment – thanks for sharing all that info…
One thing that really scares me in my line of work is seeing how many people carry their social security cards in their wallets. Hello identity theft. Not only to they know your name and address, they have the complete set!
People go in after their library cards and the SS card is just plainly visible in the wallet.
I can understand the need to bring it on your first day of work for HR, but after that it should be somewhere safe.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing them.
Best Wishes,
D4L
I think the best defense is all of the tips you share, along with some of the commented tips — and on top of all that, I would look into getting Identity Theft insurance – it’s cheap as all get out and can save you THOUSANDS ! check out http://www.zanderinsurance.com/idtheft/idtheft.aspx for more info – in today’s digital world, it’s really risky not to have it!
Great article with very useful tips.
One thing to be on the watch out is shoulder surfers. These are innocent looking people who view the personal information you use to write a check, use an ATM, or pay with a credit card. They are skilled at memorizing the information they see very quickly.
They often look like the mother with a kid, a college student, or business professional. Take out a check to pay at a grocery store and all they need is a quick second to memorize the routing number and account number at the bottom of the check and now they have access to your checking account.
Pay with a credit card and the shoulder surfer could be looking at the social security card that you have unknowingly exposed as you open your wallet (Please don’t keep your social security card in your wallet).
Grand Central station in New York is having a problem with shoulder surfers watching people entering their pin numbers and then stepping over to the ATM when the user walks away without ending the session.
FYI for all Comcast customers – you get free McAfee Antivirus software for being a Comcast subscriber. Just Google “Comcast McAfee” and the page comes up…
Often overlooked is the best fraud prevention program of all–pay cash as often as you can.
Everytime we pay with a check, credit card or debit card we create a paper trail. A thief won’t need our bank statement or credit card because in the course of a year we’re leaving 100s of pieces of paper containing important information all over the place.
Paying cash=no paper trail=no check routing numbers to spy, no PIN numbers in the wrong hands, no card imprints to steal.
We can never completely eliminate identity theft risk, but can certainly minimize it.
Great site! I have a question — Is it safe to make a purchase, giving your charge card #’s over a cell phone? Thank you.