Secure Your Identity

Identity theft is one of the fast growing crimes today. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission estimates that 9 million Americans are victims of identity theft every year.

These victims often end up spending countless hours and hundreds of dollars trying to repair their good name following an identity theft. They might be denied for education loans or lose out on a job opportunity. Some are even arrested for crimes they did not commit.

How are Identities Stolen

Identity thieves can be hard to spot. They do not approach you wearing a ski mask, demanding that you hand over your social security number. Instead, they utilize a variety of methods, from the old-school to the technological.

While there are many ways your identity can be stolen, there are six primary methods most often used by criminals who after your identity:

• Dumpster Diving: Criminals will rummage through your trash looking for paperwork, such as bills, that include your personal information.
• Skimming: Identity thieves steal your credit or debit card numbers by using a special device that copies the information when they process your card during a transaction.
• Phishing: Those after your identity go after it online by pretending to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up message asking you to reveal your personal information.
• Change of Address: Criminals will divert your billing statements to a different location simply by completing a change of address form.
• Stealing: This tried-and-true method involves stealing wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; checks; or tax information.
• Pretexting: Identity thieves will try to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies and other sources by using false pretenses.

How to Secure Your Identity

Fortunately, there are several relatively easy steps you can take to protect your identity.

1. Guard your social security number and limit the number of people and businesses with access to it.
2. Do not carry your social security card and driver's license together.
3. Always shred documents, such as bank and credit card statements, before throwing them away.
4. Make sure your passwords are intricate enough that a would-be identity thief cannot guess it.
5. Always verify who a person is before sharing any personal information with the individual.
6. Protect your purse or wallet against pick pockets.
7. Limit the number of credit cards you carry with you in case your purse or wallet is stolen.
8. Store your personal information in secure locations.
9. Keep an eye out for "shoulder surfers" who attempt to see you PIN numbers by standing close to you while you are at the ATM or on the phone.
10. Keep track of your credit card receipts - only a few businesses have stopped listing your full account numbers on their receipts.
11. Do not drop your paid bills in an unsecured mail box.
12. If you are moving, make sure to contact all your creditors and provide them with your new address.
13. Contact your creditors immediately if any strange charges show up on your billing statements.
14. Be careful when surfing the Internet and only provide your personal information to secure and reputable sites.
15. Regularly monitor your credit report, looking for any odd notations that you do not recognize.
16. Consider purchasing an identity theft prevention service that can assist you in monitoring activity on your credit report and might be able to help in cleaning up the aftermath if your identity is stolen.