Tip of the Week…Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Yesterday I was helping a friend move and her daughter called from school to ask for her mom’s tax return from last year. Mom was not going to be home so the daughter said to leave it in the mailbox. That led to a discussion about how clueless the daughter is and how stupid it would be to do something like that. What an easy way for someone to steal your identity.

With times tough more and more thieves are out there trying to benefit from your good credit history. More kids think it is fun to see just how far they can get before they are caught, and as we talked about on Wednesday, more and more are looking for the easy way out, get what you want without working for it.

I thought it was time to review just a few tips for keeping your identity safe.

1) Do not give out personal information over the phone or the internet. Reputable companies will never ask for your social security number, drivers license number or credit card numbers.

2) Don’t carry your passport, social security card or birth certificate unless you have an immediate need to have them with you. When traveling wear them in a concealed money belt or lock them in a hotel safe.

3) Keep papers which contain personal information filed away and out of sight in your home. Make sure to take great care with this if you have roommates. this is a really important tip to share with your children who are away at school. Most of our kids have roommates they do not know. They need to take great care to keep their personal information safe.

4) Regularly check your credit report with Equifax, Experian and/or Trans Union.

Make a list of credit cards and there numbers as well as your drivers license and passport numbers. Keep in a safe place in case you loose the originals. You should send a copy of these to your out of area contact just in case you lose them to a fire or natural disaster.

5) Update your virus protection software often to prevent someone accessing your computer.

6) Do not download anything sent to you by a stranger. When in doubt send it to the trash. You would not believe how much spam I get that is supposedly from me!

7) Use a firewall.

Don’t store vital information on your lap top.

9) Use passwords that are a combination of upper and lower case letters and numbers to make them more difficult to hack into. Never use your mother’s maiden name or your birthday, children’s birth dates or anything else that would be easy for a thief to know or discover.

10) Log off when you are finished for the day.

11) Delete all personal information before you dispose of a computer. If you don’t know how to do this ask any teenager.

12) Ask about security information at work. Make sure they provide fire walls and virus detection software.

13) Read privacy policies carefully on web sites you are considering doing business with.

14) If a company you want to do business with, insurance company for example, asks for your social security number ask them if you can substitute another number such as your drivers license.

15) Keep your wallet and/or purse safe at work, church, parent club meetings, and in the grocery store. Unfortunately the only place I have ever had my purse stolen was at church. When I do my grocery shopping I either take my purse that is a small backpack and wear it or I loop the straps through the bars of the cart so it is more difficult to steal.

Naturally these are not all the ways to protect yourself but for today it is a good start. Just as with anything we do to be self reliant and prepared we need to begin. If any of these tips are ones you need to work on begin today. Once you identity is stolen it can take years to restore your credit score and good name.

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3 Responses to “Tip of the Week…Protect Yourself From Identity Theft”

1. Jeanette W says:

   February 27, 2010 at 6:40 pm

   Besides the earthquake in Okinawa last night, the early morning one in Chile, there has just been another earthquake near Salta, Argentina.
2. Jeanette W says:

   February 27, 2010 at 9:09 pm

   A 4.4 earthquake in Oklahoma this afternoon.
3. LizzyP says:

   March 2, 2010 at 7:50 pm

   These tips are so important. I was recently made aware that identity hackers have an opportunity to attempt to get this information under the guise of census-taking this year. I don’t think it’s silly at all to remind all we know (especially those less familiar with the census procedures) that certain information is off limits to everyone. Thanks for the reminder.