Identity theft is a very popular crime and is getting at new victims everyday. There are measures you might take to prevent yourself from being a victim of identity theft. Here are a few ways:
- Guard Social Security: Criminals who are looking for targets first try to find your Social Security number. So, you should guard your SS number to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft.
- Credit Report monitoring: Your credit report has your social security number in it. It also has the names of your present and prior employers, a list of all of your account numbers and your over all credit score. Once you have applied for a loan or have applied for any other thing that requires a credit card, you must request that your SSN on the application should be clipped or completely covered or blotted out and your original credit report to be shredded right in front of you or be given to you once the decision has been made. The lender only needs your name and credit score to make a decision.
- Rid unnecessary items: All your old bank and credit statements must be shredded as well as junk mails that have credit card offers. You may use crosscut shredders rather than regular shredders. You may also remove yourself from the marketing lists of the 3 credit card reporting bureaus in order to reduce the number of pre-approved credit offers that you may receive. Instead, you may enlist your name in the name-deletion lists of the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service and Telephone Preference Service that banks and other marketers use.
- Keep only important content: Let only important content fill your wallet. If you don;t need your credit card, don't carry it with you. You may also get a photocopy of both sides of your license, credit cards and keep it with you somewhere else. This you should do, so that, if your purse gets stolen, you should have these numbers with you and also the expiration dates and phone numbers.
- Payments: Bill payments can be washed in chemicals. So do not mail them from your home, they can easily be stolen. Remember never to print your SS number on your checks.
- Examine statements: Always take a good look at your credit card statements before you make a payment. If you have unused credit car accounts cancel them.
- Do not exchange personal information: You SS number and other information personal to you should not be given to anyone on the phone unless you trust that person.
- Credit reporting monitoring service: You may subscribe to such a service so that you can find out whenever anyone is applying for credit in your name.
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