How To Help Prevent Identity Theft Quick Tips For Avoiding A Headache
How Common Is Identity Theft?
Since 2005 – 4,000 cases of data breach according to PrivacyRights.org –
600 million records
According to Public Citizen In 2010 – 7% of all American households were victims of some form of identity theft or data breach
People face situations like this…
ALL THE TIME
Forbes published an article regarding data breach. There are hundreds of Americans who suffer from identity theft after making online purchases, either because their computer or personal accounts where hacked or the most common when data breach occurs.
So‌
How Can You Prevent This?
How To Secure Your Info Offline
Lock all the important documents in your home
Financial documents
Social Security
Limit what you carry
Only take ID and necessary credit/debit cards
Leave Social Security card at home!
Shred important documents that aren’t necessary
Receipts, credit offers, credit applications, insurance forms, checks, bank statements, expired cards, etc.
Learn more at the Federal Trade Commission
How To Secure Your Info Online
Beware of Impersonators
Don’t give out information on the phone unless you absolutely know who you’re dealing with
Don’t give out your information from unfamiliar email addresses
Wipe Information
If you’re disposing of a computer, wipe the information from the hard drive
Password Protection
Create strong passwords with capital letters, numbers AND special characters
Private
Protect Your Information
You can’t completely be safe but taking these precautions will help you and your information stay safe!