Being a victim of identity theft is a harrowing experience that leaves a trail of devastation that can follow you around for years. When your identity is stolen, not only is your current financial situation put in peril, but your future financial stability is in danger, too. In the high-tech world we live in where personal information is stored on our smartphones, personal tablets and other devices that are easily accessed by identity thieves protecting your identity should be a top priority.
This week, October 21-27, is Protect Your Identity Week. According to ProtectYourIDNow.org, identity theft has been the top consumer complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the past twelve years in a row. We want you to keep your identity, your family and your finances safe. Here are a few tips to help you achieve that goal.
Do Not Carry Your Social Security Number in Your Wallet. Keep your social security number sacred. Once a thief has this information they can open bank accounts, credit card accounts and file false IRS reports.
Pick Credit, Over Debit. Entering your PIN number is easy, but opting to run your debit card as a credit transaction provides you with extra protection. In addition, do not sign the back of your card with your name. Instead, write SEE ID. Even though a clerk may not always ask for your ID,a potential thief may be dissuaded from using your card if this is displayed.
Check Your Mail. Believe it or not, the majority of people do not check their snail mail on a regular basis. Many people perform their banking and bill paying online, but there are still potential identity stealers sitting in your mailbox such as pre-approved credit card solicitations. Check your mail everyday and shred any personal information before disposing of it.
Do Not Store Personal Information on Your Computer. Or your smartphone. Or in your car’s glove box. Keep your personal passwords, social security numbers, bank account numbers and other personal information in a locked, secured area in your home.
Check Your Credit Regularly. Even if you have taken every precaution available to keep your information safe, checking your credit regularly will help you stay in control of what information is being reported about you. You can also put an alert on your credit that requires companies to request a password from you before issuing you credit.
Identity thieves steal your personal information for their financial gain without regards to your credit status, your time or your money. By applying these few simple suggestions to your daily life, you can stop a thief in their tracks before they make your financial life a nightmare.
Have you been a victim of ID theft? How did it affect your life?
About Denise McGrail![[Google]](/wp-content/plugins/easy-adsense-lite/google-light.gif)
I worry about identity theft. I shred all personal papers and don’t store personal information on my computer and I don’t own a smart phone.
I have had my credit card stolen and used. I now have my credit card company block any charges that are outside my home area and any that exceed $500. When I travel, I notify them prior to leaving to let them know I will be using my credit card and also whenever I plan to make large purchases.
We do worry about it and have some safeguards in place – our friend had her identity stolen three years ago and is still feeling the effects of it and cleaning it up! We’re constantly checking bank accounts, changing our pins, have our computer protected as best we can, etc.
Yes i do worrie and to protect my self I do not carrie my social security,I do not do banking on line and i stread all mail.
I am always changing things up to protect myself.
Very concerned about Identy Theft criminals always find new way to steal from people!
I protect myself by being very careful not to give away information that people really do not need especially on the internet!
I don’t worry about ID theft too much. I don’t have anything, have bad credit, and no credit cards.
I do worry about identity theft now, after my one of my banking accounts got hacked. Very troubling. I also have some concerns about entering my info on the sweepstakes as well.
I am concerned and do things at home to protect myself, no one needs to know but me.
I do worry about ID theft. There is a really high rate of ID theft in my state. I keep a close eye on my credit and make sure all my sensitive documents are shredded.
I love to read your review about ID theft and find it very informative
This is something that I do worry about but honestly have never done anything about it. After reading this I am going to start by checking all three of my reports. Thank you so much.
I have a safe that I keep any sort of sensitive documents. I never take my SS number out of the house and I won’t even enter it online. I also have fraud alert activated on my credit cards so if there is any suspicious alert going on with sudden charges, I get alerted immediately. Never had a problem with ID theft because I’m so careful.
I don’t worry because my credit is not great right now.
I’m not too worried about ID theft… I probably should be, but I just never think about it.
I don’t worry about it b/c I think who would want my credit! But I gotta stop thinking that way and look into things
I’m limiting the personal info on my social media sites
I am woirried, especially with all people do online these days. We have a comcast app that help prevent a lot of this from happening
Even though I take extra steps to prevent Identity theft… I still am very careful not to give away information especially with phone surveys etc.
I don’t worry about it but I DO take precautions to make sure that it hopefully won’t happen to me. I’m very careful when and where I use my credit card. I only bring it out with me if I plan to use it. I’m cautious when I use it in store’s. Just normal precautions that identity theft has unfortunately made necessary.
This is something I worry about constantly. I try to do all the steps mentioned above and beyond that I don’t know what else I can do to protect myself.
I don’t worry too much about identity theft although we do take precautions.
We’ve always been careful – credit cards only online, we shred regularly, etc – but there’s always a chance something could slip through. It’s unfortunate that so much relies on the SSN when it was never intended to be used as a catch-all federal identification number – did you know if someone knows the last 4 digits and where/when you were born, they can guess your number with a pretty high degree of accuracy?