Identity theft is one of fastest growing crimes in the United States. The loss of your personal identity is not only financially devastating, it is frightening and violating.
One reason is that so many people use the internet to make purchases, do their banking, and other activities that require the sharing of personal information. We often don't realize the exact paths that this information takes to get to its destination.
This leaves the sender with only the ability to hope it will land in the right hands. All too often, however, this information falls short of its location and rolls off into the hands of criminals.
How can you prevent this from happening? You need to rethink how and to whom you provide your personal and financial information.
Begin by recognizing potential trouble spots. For instance, automatic payments are increasingly popular because of the ease and convenience they offer. But are they safe for you to use?
Identity thieves can access this information through a method called live check interception. This allows them to take over your information and begin making purchases, applying for credit cards, and more.
E-checks are also very convenient, but they contain all the valuable information that criminals need in order to make fraudulent purchases. To be safe, you can limit checks to in-store use only.
Online bill payment through secure websites, rather than using checks, will also cut down on a criminal?s chance to steal your information.
Secondly, when the economy is in terrible shape people will become desperate. Identity theft can spike tremendously, and there is no time better to protect yourself.
In addition to online security, pay attention to your paper mail. Criminals are not above rooting through trash to obtain mail with sensitive information. In fact, this is one of the more common means through which identity thieves obtain information.
Credit card and bank statements are gold to identity thieves. They contain all the information they need to make purchases, apply for more cards, and more. Before you throw anything of this nature away, shred it. The few seconds you spend on this are well worth it to protect your identity and privacy.
Before you enter in any personal or financial information online, make sure the site is secure. Look for the lock icon on the address bar that indicates a safe site. You should also be diligent about checking credit card and bank statements, as well as your credit report. This way, you can keep on top of any changes.
You will easily and quickly spot any irregularities that may be caused by identity theft. Take advantage of your free annual credit report for this purpose. You can also opt to receive monthly updates or alerts when something changes. For a minimal fee, it provides great peace of mind.
Also, by knowing which secured sites you use, if your information is stolen, you can contact them immediately to retract your information. You must be proactive to protect your identity. - 23802
One reason is that so many people use the internet to make purchases, do their banking, and other activities that require the sharing of personal information. We often don't realize the exact paths that this information takes to get to its destination.
This leaves the sender with only the ability to hope it will land in the right hands. All too often, however, this information falls short of its location and rolls off into the hands of criminals.
How can you prevent this from happening? You need to rethink how and to whom you provide your personal and financial information.
Begin by recognizing potential trouble spots. For instance, automatic payments are increasingly popular because of the ease and convenience they offer. But are they safe for you to use?
Identity thieves can access this information through a method called live check interception. This allows them to take over your information and begin making purchases, applying for credit cards, and more.
E-checks are also very convenient, but they contain all the valuable information that criminals need in order to make fraudulent purchases. To be safe, you can limit checks to in-store use only.
Online bill payment through secure websites, rather than using checks, will also cut down on a criminal?s chance to steal your information.
Secondly, when the economy is in terrible shape people will become desperate. Identity theft can spike tremendously, and there is no time better to protect yourself.
In addition to online security, pay attention to your paper mail. Criminals are not above rooting through trash to obtain mail with sensitive information. In fact, this is one of the more common means through which identity thieves obtain information.
Credit card and bank statements are gold to identity thieves. They contain all the information they need to make purchases, apply for more cards, and more. Before you throw anything of this nature away, shred it. The few seconds you spend on this are well worth it to protect your identity and privacy.
Before you enter in any personal or financial information online, make sure the site is secure. Look for the lock icon on the address bar that indicates a safe site. You should also be diligent about checking credit card and bank statements, as well as your credit report. This way, you can keep on top of any changes.
You will easily and quickly spot any irregularities that may be caused by identity theft. Take advantage of your free annual credit report for this purpose. You can also opt to receive monthly updates or alerts when something changes. For a minimal fee, it provides great peace of mind.
Also, by knowing which secured sites you use, if your information is stolen, you can contact them immediately to retract your information. You must be proactive to protect your identity. - 23802
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There are some great places to learn about the best identity theft protection as well as the best ways to prevent identity theft.
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