4 Things Everyone Needs To Know About Identity Theft
4 Things Everyone Needs To Know About Identity Theft
Identity Theft is one of the fastest growing crimes these days both offline and, increasingly, online too.
It is a crime that has horrendous consequences for it's victims that range from the financial to the legal and the emotional as well.
Many people I know believe that identity theft is something that happens to 'other people' and that they will never be caught out themselves.
They need to think again.
Here are 4 things you need to be aware of with regard to identity theft, along with some tips on how you can avoid it -
Identity Thieves Are Resourceful People
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Every time you throw something out with the trash there is a risk that someone else could go through it and take items of interest.
What if your trash contains your credit card statement?
Or your bank statement?
Or a pre-approved credit card offer?
It may be junk to you but an identity thief could use any of the above to steal from you.
That is why I would recommend that everyone uses a shredder to destroy all financial documents before trashing them.
Identity Thieves Are Nosy People
Withdrawing money from an ATM, paying for groceries in a store.
Pretty mundane task most would agree but both can pose a risk to your finances.
You should always shield your PIN number when using bank/credit cards because thieves may be looking over your shoulder, noting the information they need to get a copy of your card for themselves.
Identity Thieves Lie
Theres a surprise!
One trick that identity thieves can use is to find out what utility companies you deal with.
They will then phone them up, pretending to be you, and will ask for the operator to read 'their' card details back to them as they have forgotten which one they used.
It is unfortunate but some companies have been known to actually give said details out.
Therefore it is worth searching any companies you use on the web to see how careful they are likely to be with your personal data.
Recurring Payment Dangers
Do you make monthly payments for goods or services that you have bought online?
If so, be careful to only make them to reputable companies, or through secure payment services such as Paypal.
If you are making transactions on websites where your details are going to have to be stored for many months then the risks of that information being compromised are greatly increased.
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