Identity theft continues to rise. The latest numbers say that about 30 million people will be a victim of Identity theft in America alone. It’s the fastest growing type of fraud in the marketplace and the number one consumer complaint in North America.

ID theft happens when someone uses someone else’s identification documents or other identifiers in order to impersonate that person for whatever reason including financial fraud and criminal activities.

Quick Tips

• Buy and use a shredder. Cross cut shredders are the best and can be found at many stores for around $15.
• Cut up expired or unused credit cards. Or shred them if you have a shredder.
• Carry only the ID you will need that day.
• Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
• It’s good to have two wallets. One for your everyday use and a second at home containing things like your Social Security card, bank and credit cards that are currently not being used.
• Don’t enter too much personal information on internet forms. Look for a lock at the bottom of the browser indicating
• Lock your household mailbox, especially if it’s near a sidewalk.
• Don’t leave personal information lying around.
• Don’t give personal information unless you know for sure who they are. This is especially true for your Social Security number.
• Don’t put more than your name and address on personal checks.
• Destroy old vehicle registration certificates and return expired or unused license plates.
• Protect your computer with a password that is a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
• Use a firewall computer program especially if you use a high-speed internet connection.
• Install virus protection software.
• Be careful when opening Email from strangers.
• Don’t send personal or confidential information over email.
• Make sure deleted information is really gone before disposing of old computers. Remove the hard drive from the case and take a hammer to it if you no longer have a use for it.
• Once a year get a copy of your credit report from at least two major credit bureaus. There are also many credit monitoring services that will alert you of suspicious activity and send you monthly reports.
• Make a note of credit card or bank statements that don’t arrive as usual. A thief may have changed the address.
• Keep credit card, debit and ATM receipts.
• Be wary of mail, telephone or internet promotions asking for your personal information.
• Try to memorize your passwords and pin numbers.

Following these basic steps will greatly reduce your chances of being an identity theft victim.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 9:43 am and is filed under Identity Theft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.