How to Avoid Identity Theft - Protect Yourself From Identity Theft in 3 Steps

Identity theft will always be a problem as long as people remain careless with their personal information. Technology has advanced to the point where most consumers should feel that they have adequate protection against identity theft. Here are three simple things you can do now to help you avoid identity theft.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Review Your Bank Statement Timely - It is a well known fact that when many people receive their monthly statements from their bank, they simply throw them into a basket instead of reviewing them immediately.
   
   Open these statements as soon as you get them and review each and every transaction posted throughout the month. Not only will this help provide some protection against identity theft, it will also reduce the amount of additional fees that you may incur due to miscellaneous bank fees.

2. Properly Shred Old Documents - If you leave old bank, or credit card, statements lying around you open yourself up to identity theft. If you make a mistake when writing a check, or filling out a deposit slip, do not simply throw it in the garbage without tearing it into tiny pieces. A better option would be to take it home with you and shred it completely.

3. Do Not Bank in Public Places - Having the ability to log on anywhere is such an amazing option. When you are on an unsecured network, however, you leave a small window in which criminals can break through. Never log onto your bank account from a public WiFi access point. The security is simply not the same.

[pfincome]

on 8/6/2009 #3 always scares me. I always try and avoid doing any type of secure online transaction from a public WiFi spot. Too many hackers out there!