Identity theft is by far the fastest growing crime in America. As technology gets more sophisticated, so have the criminals. Millions of people are scammed out of their money every year by identity thieves. And the trend is not slowing down any. The following are five easy tips you can follow to prevent reduce the chances of identity theft happening to you. Keep in mind, sometimes identity theft is unavoidable as a result of our use of personal information to buy products and services almost on a daily basis. But you can definitely take steps to reduce the risk. By taking the steps below, you will certainly reduce your risk of having your identity stolen by a large amount.
1. Be careful of people nearby who look like the are snoopy. These are people who try to take a peek at what you are doing over your shoulders Always be alert of your surroundings when you are working in a public space. Try to have a privacy screen when you are working in public, such as a library. Always remember the more people there are at any one place, the bigger the chance that there is an onlooker.
2. Destroy all sensitive digital information. Shred documents that contain your personally identifiable information prior to dumping them on the trash. People go dumpster diving for more than food. A lot of criminals go into your trash to dig up sensitive personal information about you. In the same manner, if you want to get rid of your old computer system, make sure that you completely get rid of all data that is stored on there. Experts recommend that you wipe your hard drive twice before giving it away, if you are giving it away.
3. Always protect your digital devices (such as laptops and phones) with a password. Internet access is abundant and so you definitely do not want unwarranted access to your stuff. Speaking of which, also always protect your home network with a firewall and a password. People who pry on open networks can steal personal information on your system. On my mobile phone, I have a password to unlock the phone and another password to unlock my sensitive apps.
4. Have an alarm system. Even a sign that you have a home security system is usually a good deterrent as thieves are very wary of houses with security system. Once the alarm goes off, they have to make a run for it or else they will get caught. Alarm systems usually take awhile to disarm and so are often-times not worth it.
5. Sign up for a credit monitoring service such as MyFico. They will alert you of any odd transactions or anything new on your credit. Also, sign up for fraud protection with your credit card and bank if they don’t already provide one for you. They come in very handy as they will alert you of odd activity on your account. Also make sure you have fraud protection on all your credit and debit cards.
Cases of identity theft are only growing each year. As technology progresses, identity thieves have more tools to use at their arsenal. As so, we need to be careful with our identity. If you take the tips above to heart and take action, you can greatly reduce the risk of you becoming a victim of identity theft.
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Tags: credit card, credit score, Debt, education, finance, Financial Debt, identity theft, improving credit, personal finance