Top 7 ways to avoid becoming a - identity theft victim
How safe is your identity? According to 2014 Identity Fraud Report from Javelin, 13.1 million people were victims of identity theft in 2013, with the target and heartbleed violations, this number is guaranteed to go up in 2014. Anyone can become a victim of identity theft if they are not careful, which is why it is important to know what steps you can take to protect yourself.
How can I avoid becoming a victim of identity theft?
there is no way to prevent identity theft, but there are still some steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of this crime.
1. Monitor bank statements regularly
It is essential that you actively monitor your bank statements when you receive them every month. This not only relates to your control and savings accounts, as well as a credit card or investment accounts you receive a statement. Instead of just throwing the shredding or statement, take the statement of the envelope and go through each transaction. Make sure that you were the only one to complete all transactions and report any unknown transaction as potential fraud. Even if the amount is less than $ 5, it is still essential that you report it. Identity thieves often "test" credit or debit card to make sure it still works before completing a larger transaction.
2. Be aware of who has access to your personal information
Throughout our lives, we provide a lot of personal information to a variety of people and businesses - including offices, shops for groceries, employers, retail or department stores and other doctor. While most of these exchanges are innocent, it is still essential to ensure that you are aware of which companies and people store personal information as well as exactly who has access to this stored information. Before providing your personal information to anyone, ask yourself these questions: How will my information stored? Who will have access to my information? What is your privacy policy? Why do you need this personal information? After the company or person answers all your questions, you can decide if you are comfortable providing your information to them.
It is also important to note that you need to ask a lot of questions whenever a company or an office doctor asks your Social Security number. In most cases, there is really no reason why companies or your doctor's office needs your social security number, and if you just leave white on all forms, they usually not even bother you for it. That said, if they require you to give them your social security number, you should ask them to explain exactly why they need and how they will use and store.
In addition to being aware of whom you provide personal information, you should also make sure to limit the amount of personal information you post on social media, and verify that your information is only available to "friends" or people who know you in real life.
3. Only enter personal information on secure websites
Whenever you are about to enter personal information or to access a Web site that contains personal information, like a bank website, you'll want to make sure you use a secure website. There are a few ways you can verify that the site is secure. The first is to verify that the URL begins with "https", meaning "https." This means that your information is encrypted or altered in coding so that only the recipient can open and access.
another way you can check the security of a Web site is to look for a color change in the address bar. If you use a secure web browser - such as the popular Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari - it will let you know that a website is secure by displaying a left lock the URL and / or highlighting the URL in green.
4. Do not trust anyone requesting personal information by email or phone
If you ever receive an email telling you that your bank account or the information was raped and that you must click on a URL in the email to fix the problem, you must make sure you click on any link and you mark the email as spam, because it is most likely a scam phishing. Similarly, when you receive a call from someone claiming that they are a representative of your bank, insurance, doctor's office or any other company and ask any of your personal information, you should not refuse their request for information and immediately hang up the phone.
If you think the e-mail or call was legitimate, you should still not provide personal information or click on anything and instead visit a trusted site or call a confidence number for the company or business to see if it is legit.
5. Protect your devices
In addition to keeping your personal information, you should also make sure that you keep your devices - such as smartphones, portable tablet computer - protected against viruses, malware and spyware. The best way to do is download an Internet security software on any device you are trying to protect. This software is designed to protect your computer against malware, spyware or viruses as well as alert you to any potential threat to your privacy or information stored on your computer. If you visit a suspicious site, the software warns you before you're in danger. And with most Internet security software, you can protect up to three computers for under $ 100 / year. Read our comments internet security software to learn more about finding the best services and the best service for your devices.
6. Shred all documents with personal information
Whether an insurance card or a credit card offer has expired you received by mail, you must ensure that you destroy the documents and not just throw them in the trash. By shredding documents containing personal information, ensuring that no one can steal your personal information if they dig through your trash. If you need to buy a mill, it is best that you get a cross-section or micro-cut shredder because these types of cuts completely destroy the document, making it impossible for anyone to put it back together.
7. Monitor your credit reports
The last step to protect yourself against identity theft is to monitor your credit. Even if you can get a free credit report each year from AnnualCreditReport.com, a once a year to control your credit reports is not enough to catch any fraudulent activity. Indeed, too much time pass before you recheck your report, leaving you open to potential fraud during the time you are not able to verify the reports.
Instead of relying on annual access to your credit reports, you should opt to take measures into your own hands by considering signing up for a service protection against identity theft. These services monitor the activity of all three of your credit reports daily and alert you if something changes or is added to one of your reports. In addition to monitoring the credit report, these services also provide you access to your reports and scores so you can comb through your reports and make sure everything is accurate credit. If there is no activity on inaccurate one of your three credit reports - Experian, Equifax or TransUnion - the service will provide you the tools to request removal of these errors
In addition to provide the full credit. monitoring report and complete access to your credit reports, identity protection services against theft also take additional steps to protect your identity, ensuring that your personal information is not sold, traded or used by identity thieves on the black market on the Internet or public folders. If any of your information is found, the service will immediately alert you and provide you the steps you need to take to protect yourself.
The best part about identity theft protection services , is that most services offer some kind of free trial that allows you to test the service before signing. Visit our identity notice of protection against theft to see which service will best suit your needs and budget.
Bottom line , there is no way to guarantee that you will not be the victim of identity theft, yet every step you take to protect your personal information can help you reduce the risk of identity theft victim.
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