How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Online and at Home

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation. The Federal Trade Commission says that citizen awareness is the most effective way to combat identity theft. By improving your knowledge of identity theft and practicing what is known as target-hardening (eliminating vulnerabilities and being proactive in protecting personal information), you can reduce your risk of falling victim to identity theft.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Protect yourself from identity theft by being stingy with personal information including your date of birth, telephone number, address, social security number, and credit card number. Some of these may seem innocent enough, but in the wrong hands, they can be used to manipulate more damaging information. Never share this type of information with anyone who makes an unsolicited phone call or email.

2. Shred documents before throwing them away. This includes old bank statements, expired credit cards, and any document containing any of your personal information, including name and address. When you receive unwanted credit card offers through the mail, take adequate steps to destroy the card to prevent it from being activated by an identity thief.

3. On the internet, avoid using simple, obvious, and easily decipherable passwords. Using a mix of letters, numbers, and even symbols can help to protect your accounts from being cracked. Do not use the same password for everything; when your passwords are all the same, if one gets cracked, they all get cracked. Also, change passwords often to protect yourself from identity theft online. If you are worried about forgetting passwords, keep track of them using simple pen and paper. Only access online accounts from your personal computer in a private area; public computers and wandering eyes can compromise information security.

4. Do not respond to or click on links in emails purporting to be from financial institutions. One of the most frequent methods of identity theft is using fraudulent emails to trick internet users into voluntarily giving out their personal information. These are phishing emails which are designed to steal financial and identifying information from unsuspecting internet users.

5. Maintain a full arsenal of the three core types of computer defense programs: anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall. If not already installed on your computer, these programs can be obtained freely through providers like AVG, Ad-Aware, SpyBot, and ZoneAlarm. Keep your programs up-to-date, run regular virus and spyware scans, and keep your firewall active at all times.

6. Check your financial accounts and bank statements regularly. Be watchful for any strange charges or activity that you did not authorize. If anything out of the ordinary appears, contact the account provider to investigate it. In the event that your account has been accessed illegally, a hold can be placed on your account and the perpetrator may be traceable.