Destroy all documents that contain personal information. Thieves still gather personal information used identity theft from the trash so be sure to shred everything you throw away that contains any personal information about you. This includes credit card statements, bank statements, etc.
Empty your mail box quickly. Don’t give identity thieves the opportunity to steal personal documents form your mail box, empty it every day as soon as possible. You can also get a PO Box or locking mail box for added security. You should also never mail bills or letters containing personal checks from home as they can be stolen too.
Guard your social security number, and keep your card in a permanent place. Do not carry your social security card on it, and do not use this number on any papers that can be easily stolen.
Consider a lock box or safety deposit box for your social security card. Burglars often steal personal information and use it for identity theft in the future.
Don’t leave receipts lying around. Never leave receipts behind at the bank, ATM or store. If you used a card to pay for something take the receipt with you as it contains information that can potentially be used for identity theft.
Never let your credit card out of your sight. If you can’t keep see your credit card, pay with cash or check, or instead of giving your card to a restaurant employee, pay the bill yourself.
Don’t give your personal information over the telephone. If someone calls you, inquire about their reason for calling and ask what company they represent, even if it’s a call from your bank or financial institution. Return their call at a number you know is legitimate to verify the call before giving them the information.
Ask to be removed from junk mail lists. The inconvenience of receiving hundreds of junk mail offers will be removed, and you will be saved the potential problem of having credit card offers stolen from your mail box.
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10 Responses to “7 Ways to Help Avoid Identity Theft”
Living Life Abundantly Adventures
This is a great article. I’ve been a victim of identity theft and know how devastating it can be on a person’s lifestyle.
Great point about not letting your credit card out of your site. I am always surprised that many people are extremely careful about where they will enter a credit card number online, for example, but will let a waiter or retail shop worker disappear with their credit card. This is why I started paying cash for many such purchases years ago!
Good post. My wife is constantly leaving her debit card in the car. I keep telling her if the wrong person sees it through the window, not only do we have potential identity theft…. we have a broken window too.
this articles giving great tips i like it very much. it is sure way to avoid identity theft
well i can't say these are some great tips but ya these are helpful…you can read and adapt some points from this blog
nice article….good informative blog….keep the good work going…you are doing a good job
This article has some very good tips to protect yourself from identity theft. The most important thing is to be proactive about it. Another resource I have found is http:http://www.identitytheftfacts.com. it provides both reviews and resources about identity theft. It is another good place to learn how to protect yourself from identity theft.
Good article. I agree using your credit card as little as possible is one of the best ways to prevent identity theft. Especially since credit card identity theft makes up about 50-60% of all identity theft.
See that the article is not recent, still everything remains true.
A few extra tips for the users of digital technology:
- do not only shred paper, also shred old data carriers before disposing of them, here's some background reading: http://www.cleverandeasy.com/Security/avoid-ident...
- never put personal data on unprotected USB memory sticks, you WILL loose them some day. There are several good encrypted products around nowadays.
- never place personal data on social networking sites, besides your name
I think more people need to start taking control of their identities. I see so many older people especially doing things online that make them vulnerable to their identity and credit card information being stolen. The schemes people are using keep getting more advanced where even computer geeks and street smart people are getting caught.