Jan 08
Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
Several steps can protect against identity theft
There is no real way to prevent someone from stealing your identity or swiping financial and personal information, unless you have no bank accounts, credit cards or Social Security number.
But consumers can take certain solid steps to protect themselves, to make identity theft less likely and to make their financial information less vulnerable.
– By Randi F. Marshall, Newsday
- Your Wallet – photo copy the contents
- Social Security card – secure it
- Your Mail – do not mail bills from your mail box
- Ordering Personal Checks – Pick them up at the bank
- Buy a shredder – shred everything that can identify you – mail, credit cards, old drivers licenses, older documents, etc
- Opting out of prescreened credit offers – 888-5OPTOUT
- Beware of Phone calls from people you do not know asking about personal information
- Your Computer must have an anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall
- Watch out for phishing e-mails – e-mails seeming like they we sent from a company, but really aren’t
- Password protect computers, blackberry and laptops
- Online banking and credit card Web sites – check them daily
- Order a free credit report once a year from annualcreditreport.com
- Debit cards versus Credit cards – do not use debit cards for purchases
- Use debit cards for only bank ATMs, not independent ones – check ATMs by gently sticking your finger in the slot. If the slot moves, it may have been tampered with.
- Online Shopping – look for the Locked Lock in your browser
- Use a single credit card for all online transactions
- Protect your identity everywhere – Ask why someone needs additional personal information
Be alert – there is always something else people will try.
