subject: Quick Tips For Your Protection From ID Theft [print this page] Quick Tips For Your Protection From ID Theft
If you have a great credit score, good for you! Don't get too comfortable, though. The problem with good credit is that protection from ID theft becomes even more important.
You see, identity thieves don't tend to steal from people who already have bad credit.
Instead, they usually destroy the credit of those who would otherwise have a good credit history. So essentially you have a giant target on your back if you've managed your credit wisely.
Luckily, you can follow these tips for protection from ID theft that can be applied rather easily.
One of the best tips is to be careful how you handle phone calls you may receive. It is never a good idea to give your personal information out, even if the person claims to be from a company that you do business with.
For example let's say that someone calls and says that they are from your bank and asks you for your social security number. Well, your bank should have your social security number on file already. Not only that, but your bank should be just as concerned about protection from ID theft as you are.
In this case, the best course of action would be hanging up the phone, and stopping by the bank branch to talk to them in person.
Another option would be calling the bank back at the number on your bank statement, so that you know who you are talking to. Any legitimate business person that calls you should have no problem with either of these actions.
Another good tip for protection from ID theft is to watch out for phishing emails.
Phishing emails are often made to look like they come from popular websites or from your own bank or credit card company. Yet, they are simply scams to get your personal information from you.
Protection from identity theft via email primarily means being aware of one simple fact: email is just not secure.
Not only that, but legitimate companies know it. Just like on the phone, any company that you do business with should already have your personal information. They have no reason to ask you for it, especially by email. The best thing to do with such emails is to simply delete them and not open any file attachments from them.
In the end, protection from ID theft starts with you. How are you handling your personal information? Who are you giving it to and why?
As long as you are careful with your personal data, you can lower your chances of falling prey to identity theft.
Being careful means that you make a habit of shredding personal documents, not giving information out by phone or email and, in general, using a lot of common sense.
As you can see, if protection from ID theft becomes your priority, you can manage it fairly easily.
