subject: How Can You Protect Your Identity? [print this page] There are several people who have been perfect with their financial behavior for several years by paying bills on time, borrowing wisely and saving regularly. However these people are often the ones who get into the hands of identity thieves who mess things up for them with unauthorized vacations and shopping sprees.
The fact that there are a number of impostors just looking for a changes to make way into your bank accounts and credit cards is not some fetched story line. There are identity thefts around you who actually make a living by stealing your identity. Apart form just leaving you with tons of debts to pay, you might also find a criminal record under your name as the consequence of identity theft.
The federal trade commission had filed millions of cases for this crime and it has become really hard for the victims to clear up the mess and get things to normal. Therefore if you need to be safe from this nightmare or crime there are some dos and donts you need to know which can prevent identity theft.
The donts for protecting your identity
1.Make sure you dont offer your personal and financial information to people you are not familiar with.
2.Dont answer to any unsolicited pop-ups and emails that request your information, even when they seem to be sent from your company or bank you have account with. As the internet has always been the best tool for all the bad guys, continue to be cautious of the requests which come through the mail or telephone.
3.Dont let your mail box uncheck before you sleep. This is because identity thieves actually check mailboxes for any documents or letters which might include personal information.
4.Dont carry your social security number in your wallet or handbag including several credit cards, passport or more than one photo identity.
5.Dont offer your social security number liberally as even though it is linked to your identity it is not your identification.
6.Dont shop from online shopping websites unless they are authorized and have a secure server.
The dos for protecting your identity
1.Make it a point to shred all your financial records and credit card receipts before you throw them away. You might not even imagine thieves rummaging though your garbage just to find some piece of information as the trash is their useful source of information.
2.Do read your credit card statement frequently to find if there are any unexpected charges.
3.Make sure you order and check your credit report every year.
4.Make sure you do change your password frequently as online hacking has become a way to steal identity.
5.Make sure your compute is free from viruses and malware and also make sure you destroy all your information on the hard disk in case you need to sell the computer.
6.Do know what should be done in case you find something wrong with your identity. This means that you should have the identity theft hotline number always with you.
