Total Identity Protection

Knowing how to avoid identity theft is one of the most important steps any individual can take today to ensure their financial security and good credit standing. Failure to learn how to avoid identify theft can result in financial loss, credit rating reverses and a tangled mess that can take years to unravel.

Store your financial information, such as bank account numbers and credit card accounts, in a secure, locked location which strangers or visitors to your home or office cannot easily access. Only share your account numbers with legitimate businesses in order to conduct financial transactions. Do not automatically give any financial account information on an application just because you are asked for it.

Guard the confidentiality of your social security number. Identity theft experts who gain access to this number literally have a key to unlock plenty of other financial details about you in order to do major damage. Do not list this number on job resumes or provide it on job application forms until you are given a bona fide job offer and know who are dealing with.

Be wary of anyone calling or e-mailing you with a request for you to divulge account numbers or your social security number in order to do business with them. Many con artists count on the fact that people can often be manipulated into giving up confidential information by being told they won a prize or can be entitled to some benefit or great savings on merchandise if they provide this information.

Secure your mailbox in a location where strangers or passers-by can’t have easy access. Identity thieves often steal incoming as well as outgoing mail to obtain financial account information, so pick up your incoming mail promptly and don’t leave stamped outgoing envelopes for the postal carrier. Mail them at the post office or deposit into a nearby postal mailbox instead.

Shred credit card receipts once you have recorded the transaction as just tossing these receipts into the trash can have them wind up in the wrong hands. Shred any documents containing sensitive financial information or details when you are ready to dispose of them so that no one else can copy down the information these pages contain.

Request a free copy of your credit report on an annual basis to note any errors or discrepancies which may indicate that a potential identity thief has tried to access your records.

Keep the toll-free number of the Federal Trade Commission handy, 1-877-438-4338, if you have any questions about identity theft or suspect you have been a victim of identity theft.

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