How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

You may have heard about the growing epidemic of identity theft on the news. With so many people shopping online and casually giving out personal information, it’s no wonder criminals thrive with this kind of activity. How do these people get this information? There are many ways that criminals access your personal data to use in fraud. Criminals can obtain this information from dumpster diving, eavesdropping, hacking computers, stealing personal property, surfing social network sites and searching public records. Some will even create a job offer and have the victims reply with personal information so that they can run a “background check,” only to take the information and use it to apply for credit or loans. It’s amazing how easily someone could gather information about you or your family and use it against you in criminal ways. How can you protect yourself?

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Be selective as to who you supply with a copy of your birth certificate or social security number.
2. Keep your social security cards at home in a safe or other hidden spot.
3. Make sure your social security number does not appear on any insurance cards. If so, ask that it be removed.
4. Shred all paperwork containing pertinent information.
5. Ensure that your computer network is secure, especially if it is wireless.
6. Use encrypted devices when using portable media.
7. Obtain a yearly credit report and look it over for any suspicious activity.
8. Never give out your social security numbers over the phone or over the internet.

Tips & Warnings

• Identity theft affects everyone. If you have a social security number (which, if you’re a US citizen, you do), you are at risk. Newborns, children, teens and the deceased are all victims of this crime. By keeping these few tips in mind, you can feel more at ease that you are being proactive about your protection and not just waiting for it to happen before taking action.