Ways to Prevent Identity Theft From Happening to You

Identity theft is a growing problem in this country. More and more people have to deal with the miserable after effects of having their identity stolen. If you don’t want to be a victim, there are several ways you can prevent identity theft from happening to you.

• Look over your credit report at least once a year to look for inaccuracies. Report any mistakes immediately.
• Look over all of your financial statements and bills as soon as they come in the mail and make sure all of the charges are correct.
• Don’t give your information to anyone who contacts you first. If a company calls you to get information, tell them you will call them back. Make sure to look the number up in the phone book, don’t just use the number they called from. This will make sure the company is legitimate.
• Store any sensitive information in a secure place like a locked safe. You’ll want to keep items like your birth certificate, Social Security card, and any other financial information you want to keep safe.
• Don’t keep paperwork out in the open when you have workers in your home. You don’t want the plumber to have the chance to get your credit card number.
• Don’t write down passwords or PIN numbers unless you can keep them in a safe spot. It’s also not a good idea to keep them stored in a file on your computer.
• Change passwords routinely for important accounts. You don’t have to change them every week, but maybe every few months. Some companies have you change them every month.
• Instead of using generic passwords like your birthdate or address, choose an intricate password that includes letters and numbers. This will make it harder to guess.
• Make sure you protect your purse or wallet at all times when you’re going out. They usually contain a lot of financial information and can easily be lost or stolen.
• When making transactions like ATM withdrawals and such, make sure that no one is looking over your shoulder or standing abnormally close to you. Don’t feel bad about asking them to back away for a minute.
• Take only what you need when you go out. If you don’t need your social security card, insurance cards, or even extra credit cards, then leave them at home. It’s just less risk you have to worry about.
• Put outgoing mail in a post office collection bin instead of your home mailbox.
• Have mail put on hold when you’re away from home, even if it’s just a couple of days. If you don’t want to do this, have a trusted family member or friend pick it up for you.
• Don’t let your mail sit in your mailbox. Get it from your mailbox immediately so thieves don’t have time to steal it.
• If you want to be extra careful with your mail, you can get a lockable mailbox.
• You may want to opt out of pre approved credit card offers. They are one of the biggest items used for identity theft.
• Don’t throw away any mail that has your information on it. Take the time to shred it properly before you put it in the trash bin.
• Update spyware and virus protection when it’s needed.
• When shopping online, only purchase items or make transactions from trusted and secure sites.
• Keep any computer files that contain financial or personal information password protected.
• If your bank offers it, take advantage of online banking. You can request that they stop sending your bank statements in the mail.
• Don’t put unnecessary information on your checks. Put only the bare minimum.
• Shred your cancelled checks instead of just throwing them in the trash.
• Pick up new checks from the bank instead of having them shipped to your house.

This really just covers the basics of what you should do to prevent identity theft. If you’re not in the practice of following these steps, it can seem like wasted time for you. Identity theft preventions do take a little extra time, but it’s time well spent. You will be spending much more time fixing the problems when your identity is stolen than preventing it from happening in the first place.