How To Reduce Your Risk To Identity Theft
Several steps can help you reduce the possibility of having your identity stolen
Buy A Shredder – You can purchase a shredder for a relatively cheap price these days at any office supply store. Any piece of paper that contains your personal or financial information or your social security number should be shredded before throwing it away.
Get A Locking Mailbox – People are always receiving bank statements, credit cards, credit card offers, checks you can write off of your credit card account, medical bills, etc. Think of all the personal information on these documents. A lot of times identity thieves will just follow the postal carrier around and snatch up mail after it has been delivered.
Protect Your Outgoing Mail – With all the mail that comes in, think of all the mail that goes out that has your information on it. When you pay your bills by mail it will have your account information on it. If you still pay your bills through the mail, consider taking your outgoing mail to the post office rather than leaving it in your own mailbox. Consider paying your bills online if at all possible.
Keep Track Of Your Receipts – Most receipts won’t have your full account number on them, but some actually will. Be sure to keep good track of them, or if you don’t need them anymore, use the shredder.
Keep Your Financial Documents Locked Up – In case anyone breaks into your house, or someone you thought you could trust tries to go through your personal stuff, it is important to keep any document with personal information locked up in safe or locking file cabinet.
Be Stingy With Your Social Security Number – Sometimes businesses will ask for you Social Security number for their records, but not all have the right to demand for it. You will need to provide it to a few places like employers, financial institutions, or government agencies.
Know What’s In Your Wallet – Don’t carry your Social Security number with you or have it on your checks. Don’t carry many debit or credit cards with you. For whatever credit card you carry, you should know what number to call in case your wallet is stolen. This should be done immediately.
Ask Businesses About Shredding Policies – If you do have to give personal financial information to any business, feel free to ask how they dispose of the information once they are done with it. If they don’t have a shredding policy in place, then maybe you should take your business to a place that does.
Opt Out Of Credit Card Solicitations, Junk Mail, And Telemarketing – There is a toll-free number (888-5-OPTOUT) that the credit bureaus have that allows you to take your name off any marketing lists that are sold to credit card companies. It won’t completely eliminate solicitations, but it should cut down on them. There is also a line to stop telemarketers from calling.
Don’t Use A Cell Or Cordless Phone To Discuss Financial Matters – Wireless signals can be intercepted, or you could be overheard in a public place.
Be Wary Of Telephone Solicitors And Emails Claiming To Be From Financial Institutions – Don’t give out any of your information unless you were the one that initiated the contact. Criminals are getting better at “phishing” which usually uses an email claiming to be from your bank and directs you to a look-alike site where you would input your personal or account information.
Monitor Your Credit Reports – Continually monitoring your credit reports will help you catch any suspicious activity a lot quicker than if you didn’t discover something until you applied for a loan or other line of credit.