Preserving Your Identity
Identity Theft is a rapidly growing problem, but there are steps you can take to preserve your identity. To protect yourself, you need to understand:
- Who the Identity Thieves typically are
- How Identity Thieves get your personal information
- What you can do to protect yourself from Identity Theft
Who are the Identity Thieves?
An Identity Thief can be literally anyone, but all too frequently he/she is someone you know. Better than half of all Identity Thefts are committed by someone close to you, including employees, neighbors, friends, roommates, siblings, your own children and even your parents. The balance of Identity Thefts are committed by people you may have never met.
How do Identity Thieves get your information?
Whether the thief is someone you know or not, the thing that Identity Thieves have in common is that they have acquired enough of your personal information to act in your stead. This information can be acquired from:
- Utility bills
- Bank and credit card statements
- Insurance records
- Legal documents
- Drivers licenses
- Hacking (of your computer or the computers of your bank or credit card supplier), Etc.
The Identity Thief can collect these documents from your trash, your mail, and any place you leave such documents out in public view. Such information can also be purchased from someone who has collected the necessary information for the purpose of sale to others.
Steps you can take to protect yourself
- Shredding Discarded Personal Papers
- Secure Your Computer
- Be On Guard For "Phishing Scams"
- Lock Up Your Vital Information
- Review Financial Statements
- Monitor Credit Lines
- Use Credit Alerts and Credit Freezes
- Seek Professional Assistance
For more detail on any of these steps, click on the associated word link above.
Anyone can become an Identity Theft victim; however, every step you take to defend yourself against theft makes it that much more difficult for even a dedicated thief to steal your identity.