10 Ways to Stay Away from Identity Theft

Surprise!?

5. It is highly not recommend posting detailed personal information on social sites.

It is fine to post insensitive information if you are hooked onto social sites and do a lot of sharing, commenting, etc. However, refrain from adding too much of your personal information, even on your profile such as your date of birth and address. These are sensitive information and can lawbreakers could use it to apply for credit on behave of your identity.

6. Meticulously check your statements.

I know it sounds like a heavy task, but it can actually save you from a lot of trouble later on. If you check your bank and credit statements each month, then you will notice if any of them have not arrived in your mail box. It could probably be someone who stole it from your mailbox or it got lost while it was being sent to you. What is great by regularly checking your statements is that you can check your purchases, charges and other entries and ensure they match up with your records. Also, you will be able to more quickly identify any unusual transactions.

7. It is a good idea to annually check on your credit rating.

You can request the credit bureaus to send a copy of your credit rating at least once a year. It is wise to check for any financial services or accounts that you had not applied for. If there are some unusual entries, then immediately inform the credit agency. The earlier you perceive a scam, the easier and more quickly it will be to clean up your credit files and save your financial standing.

[pullquote] if you wake up early one morning and realize your bank statement clearly indicates some crooks are trying to eat up the funds you have diligently saved. [/pullquote]8. Be very careful when carrying documentations with your bank cards.

God forbid! If your valuable documents and bank cards are stolen, a crook will have all that he needs to apply for credit on behave of your name. Ensure that your smart phone, tablet computer and laptop are password-protected and create passwords that combine 6-8 numbers and letters, ideally upper and lower case.

9. Turn on your firewall and ensure your anti-virus software is up-to-date.

Install and update your virus protection software to prevent any form of viruses from triggering your computer into sending out files or other stored information. This will keep viruses from invading your computer and will frustrate hackers from acquiring personal information and/or financial data from your hard drive. This is particularly imperative, if you connect to the Internet and your sensitive files are not encrypted.
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10. Opt for cards that have a zero liability policy.

There are many credit and debit cards with zero percent liability charges. This means that if someone fraudulently accesses your account information and inquires charges on it, you won’t be held responsible. Ensure you are protected with cards that have these policies.

Hence, there are several ways of protecting our identity and we should ensure that the people around us are aware about these identity theft prevention tips too.

Shelly enjoys writing on various subjects including career moves, finance, insurance, and home improvement. You can find her writing on different sites.