Take precautions to prevent the theft of your identity. Clearing your name and credit record after the fact is much more difficult that protecting yourself against identity theft. If you are a victim, it can take a lot of your time and even some of your own money to clear your name.
To help you avoid ID theft, below are some practical tips.
Watch out for shoulder-surfers. At ATMs and phone booths, thieves will stand close enough to see PIN numbers punched in by users. Whenever others are around, always use your hand to hide your number from them. Keep in mind that it's very simple for someone to film your PIN in high definition with a smartphone, and you won't even notice.
High-tech thieves are busy coming up with inventive ways to get at your personal information, including skimming your credit card during check out, shoulder surfing to snap a picture of your account, and phishing for your identity via email, websites, texting, or phone calls.
Do you keep a piece of paper shoved into your wallet or purse with all your passwords and account numbers written out on it? You could make it really easy for a thief to open accounts in your name if you do. If a thief got a hold of your personal information, how would you know? One way is to keep a close eye on your credit report and watch for changes in your score.
When on the telephone, do not give out personal information. If someone phones and asks for your social security, credit card, or bank account numbers, tell them they can contact you by mail and that you don't give that information over the phone.
Don't get hooked by "phishing." Scammers who are trying to obtain personal details, including credit cards, bank accounts, Social Security numbers, and other data send out spam emails, in the hopes you will give out these vital facts. Be careful if you get an unexpected email asking you to update or verify any important information.
When it comes time to enter any personal information during online shopping, make sure you see https in the URL and a security seal. This quick check can help stop you from being phished and disclosing your identity on a counterfeit website.
Everything should be shredded. Anything with your address, name, credit card information, or bank account numbers should be shredded or torn before it goes in the garbage or recycling. Do this for unused credit card offers too. And make sure you get your mail every day. You can contact your bank, credit card provider and other companies that send you bills and opt for their paperless billing service. If you're planning to be away from home and have no one that can pick up your mail for you, request a vacation hold at your local post office.
Laptops, cell phones and PDAs are hot targets for thieves, so make sure you keep close watch on these items and use strong passwords with a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols to protect your data.
To help you avoid ID theft, below are some practical tips.
Watch out for shoulder-surfers. At ATMs and phone booths, thieves will stand close enough to see PIN numbers punched in by users. Whenever others are around, always use your hand to hide your number from them. Keep in mind that it's very simple for someone to film your PIN in high definition with a smartphone, and you won't even notice.
High-tech thieves are busy coming up with inventive ways to get at your personal information, including skimming your credit card during check out, shoulder surfing to snap a picture of your account, and phishing for your identity via email, websites, texting, or phone calls.
Do you keep a piece of paper shoved into your wallet or purse with all your passwords and account numbers written out on it? You could make it really easy for a thief to open accounts in your name if you do. If a thief got a hold of your personal information, how would you know? One way is to keep a close eye on your credit report and watch for changes in your score.
When on the telephone, do not give out personal information. If someone phones and asks for your social security, credit card, or bank account numbers, tell them they can contact you by mail and that you don't give that information over the phone.
Don't get hooked by "phishing." Scammers who are trying to obtain personal details, including credit cards, bank accounts, Social Security numbers, and other data send out spam emails, in the hopes you will give out these vital facts. Be careful if you get an unexpected email asking you to update or verify any important information.
When it comes time to enter any personal information during online shopping, make sure you see https in the URL and a security seal. This quick check can help stop you from being phished and disclosing your identity on a counterfeit website.
Everything should be shredded. Anything with your address, name, credit card information, or bank account numbers should be shredded or torn before it goes in the garbage or recycling. Do this for unused credit card offers too. And make sure you get your mail every day. You can contact your bank, credit card provider and other companies that send you bills and opt for their paperless billing service. If you're planning to be away from home and have no one that can pick up your mail for you, request a vacation hold at your local post office.
Laptops, cell phones and PDAs are hot targets for thieves, so make sure you keep close watch on these items and use strong passwords with a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols to protect your data.
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