Identity thieves are very creative. They will do anything to get hold of your personal information. There are no limits to identity theft. Any piece of personal information can come in handy. So how do you Avoid Identity Theft.
Your name and birthday are the kind of information identity thieves look for. But unfortunately, these are the kinds of info that you normally give out. Who would ever think that your name and birthday could be useful to a complete stranger? But unfortunately an identity thief will welcome such information.
The thing about identity theft is that you don’t know you’re being screwed until it’s too late. But once you see your bills pile up and you have no idea where the charges are coming from, then you’re in trouble. Someone has already gotten hold of your personal information. Hence, it pays to protect yourself with identity theft protection services such as LifeLock or Experian to help monitor any ongoing fraudulent activities.
There are other ways by which you can protect yourself from those nasty ID thieves. Here are a couple of tips to live by.
Be Careful With What You Post Online
By now, you’ve probably heard a lot of stories about identity theft online. There have been so many cases where identity thieves use other people’s personal information to deceive and mislead people. In worse cases, they get away with stealing a lot of money.
Identity thieves use the internet to steal personal information. The internet is a paradise for them. This is because everybody generously shares every bit of personal information with everybody online. You need to be careful with what you post online. Remember, you could be the next victim. Everybody could be a victim.
Don’t Trust All Your Emails
If you get an email that’s asking for money, ignore it. Remember, identity thieves are very creative and smart. They can hack your friend’s account and send you an email asking for money. In case that happens, pick up the phone and call your friend. You also need to be careful with emails coming from strangers. If you do get these kinds of emails, simply ignore them.
Take Care Of Your Credit Card
Don’t leave your credit card laying around. Secure it well. When you do need to use it, don’t just hand it over the cashier or to the waiter. Keep a close watch on your credit card transaction. If you are making an online purchase, choose a trusted website. In case you lose your credit card, report it immediately. It’s also a good practice to check all your purchases in your billing statement. You’ll be able to see if there are any questionable transactions on your billing statement.
Safeguard All Your IDs
You need to safeguard all your IDs. Just like a lost credit card, you also need to report a lost ID. Identity thieves can definitely make use of your lost ID.
Keep A Close Watch On Your Mail
Check all the mail that are delivered to your house. Your name and home address can go a long way with an identity thief. They can easily use those two pieces of information to their advantage; but unfortunately, to your disadvantage. So if you’re getting mails from various financial institutions, better to check it out as soon as possible. You might, one day, find out that you have an outstanding loan and that could hurt you a lot.
How Avoid Identity Theft
These are very simple tips for you to follow. It’s best to be careful at all times. Identity thieves are everywhere and they will do anything to ruin your name. So always keep in mind that the best person to protect your personal information is you.
