Now, let us divert from the usual business articles that are posted here. Did you know that your identity is valuable whether online or not? You may not know it but somebody may be using your credit card online right now to make illegal purchases or maybe using your social security number and even your name and address to easily retrieve your credit and financial records.
Better to take precautions in protecting your identity. If you take that simple ounce of planning regarding identity protection, it will be difficult for the identity thief to really rob you of your financial standing. Even if you may not totally get rid of identity theft, you may be able to minimize the risks in acting upon the problem as early as possible. Informational materials may come in handy for you and you may as well educate even your family and friends to help fight identity theft just in case some problems may arise.
Put in a safe location all your information. This is important to protect your records. Make sure to make copies of all your bank account numbers and credit cards and the phone numbers of their customer service. Even if you are thinking that your financial information is safe in your hard drive to prevent any identity theft, it is better not to trust that kind of thinking especially if you are always connected to the internet.
Guard your personal checks and your wallet as well. Bring only what you need for your everyday dealings. Do not carry always your passport or your social security card, and even your birth certificate unless it is absolutely necessary. Upon ordering of new checks, make sure not to print the telephone number on the checks.
Master your own payment cycles. Better to monitor your bank statement and the payment cycles of your credit card which normally arrives every month. If it is late, call the customer service of your cards. There is a possibility that identity thieves may have asked for a change of address.
Avoid issuing personal checks to unfamiliar people. Instead of a personal check, cash or money order or even a bank draft is advisable. In the present modern world, it is very easy to get funds from someone’s bank account via the internet. In issuing a personal check, all the much needed information by an identity thief is found in the check. So even if you haven’t tried to sign up for an online banking, someone may be able to get funds from your account through the world wide web.
Always be aware of any scams when using the internet. Avoid giving personal information to companies or people who may request you to click a link in verifying your information. Also do not click on links sent via email from senders that you do not know. It is possible that it is a spam and a scam. There is a so-called “phising” technique whereby someone pretends to be coming from a legal organization like a credit card company or even Ebay, asking to verify your information. This kind of technique happened to me; an email arrived in my inbox saying it came from Paypal. Of course, the email looked suspicious, so the best thing to do is to verify the email from the real organization itself. And that is what I did; I emailed Paypal and it turned out that it was really a phising email. Do not ever use the scam links in the email; log directly into the proper website of the organization and you will be able to verify easily that the email is a scam. Do not put information that will identify you further on forums or sites like Facebook or MySpace. And do not forget to install in your computer a reliable anti-spyware program and even an anti-virus scan program.
Guard with your life your social security number. It is better if you may be able to memorize your social security number and never carry your number in your wallet. It should only stay at home safely. Do not ever put your social security n umber on your checks and do not tell anyone your number except when a privacy notice goes together with the number request.
Passwords should be unique and strong. All password accounts should be a combination of numbers and letters. Strong passwords consist of a phrase or a word that does not exist at all and your password will be much stronger. If there is a security question, your maiden name should not be entered. Do not use your birth dates or social security numbers as these are all very sensitive information and are easily guessed. Your PIN numbers and passwords should all be memorized.
All these tips will help you stay safe from identity thieves and will be able to help you guard your future and your financial reputation as well. Bear in mind that awareness and knowledge are two of the most effective weapons against becoming an identity theft victim. Better endorse precautions so as it will be harder for the thief to make use of your financial as well as personal information.
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