10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft
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Identity theft is a existent problem. Last week, I wrote about my identity theft story, and gave tips on how to deal with it if it happens. Simply the best way to deal with identity theft is to forbid it from happening in the first place. Pay attention to these 10 ways to preclude identity theft and avoid being a victim.
ten Ways to Prevent Identity Theft
Pay with Greenbacks
My favorite way to prevent identity theft (and i that isn't listed on whatsoever other post I've seen regarding identity theft) is to pay with cash. This is actually one of the master reasons why I tend to use greenbacks over card! I'm fairly certain that my bank information got stolen with a skimmer at a gas station. I now only use cash to pay for gas and guess what? It really doesn't take that much longer. Yes, I have to become inside and really speak to the cashier, just doing that is well worth the peace of mind I take in knowing that my card information won't be stolen at the pump.
It'southward also best to use cash at restaurants. Although it hasn't happened to me (that I know of), tons of people get their carte information stolen while trying to pay for meals. I know this because I had an unscrupulous boyfriend who admitted to doing this crap to people, and who told me that information technology basically happened at every restaurant he worked at (we are no longer together).
My European friends may exist wondering how this happens. Well, Europe is actually alee of the US when it comes to paying for stuff at a restaurant. In every European country I've been to, the server brings the little machine to you, you swipe your card and complete the transaction. In the US, the waitstaff takes your card to the back somewhere, and swipes for you, bringing you lot the receipt upon completion. Your card is alone with a random person in the dorsum of a eating house. It's mode too piece of cake for someone to re-create your data during that time.
Paying with cash also prevents nefarious people from shoulder surfing and obtaining your card information at the ATM and at check outs. Which brings usa to our second mode to prevent identity theft.
Stay Alarm in Public
If y'all are going to use a card in public (or even at an ATM to become cash) stay alert. Be mindful of people around you who may be trying to steal your carte du jour data. These shoulder surfers are peaking over your shoulder or effectually your waist with their cellphones, ready to take hold of photos of your information if you aren't careful.
A good mode to forbid shoulder surfing is to cover the pin pad during transactions. You should also go on your card number and security code covered and out of view of those around y'all. I know it's not something you normally call back about, and it may experience awkward at commencement. Simply try to continue the well-nigh important parts covered with your mitt when y'all pull it out. It will become second nature after a while.
Monitor Your Credit and Accounts
Ok, then monitoring your credit report and all of your accounts may not exactly prevent identity theft, but it will aid yous take hold of and resolve any problems. Information technology may also prevent a bad situation from turning into a terrible state of affairs, which is also important.
If you monitor all of your accounts regularly, you should be able to catch whatsoever suspicious action before it causes y'all undue hardship. Monitoring your credit reports will ensure that no new accounts have been opened in your name. This is crucial considering sometimes people don't steal your depository financial institution information, but with your address and telephone number, they can open up brand new lines of credit. All of your real accounts wait only fine, and so you may not fifty-fifty realize that your credit is slowly being destroyed.
Some other new thing that I just heard of is when nefarious players open new lines of credit in your name, then slowly build that credit. You may exist thinking "hey, this is the Santa of identity theft, they are actually helping me out!" merely that's not the case. They target folks with poor credit because they are less likely to monitor their accounts. They can slowly build the credit to the betoken where they can have out a huge amount, so ditch out, leaving the credit in shambles. It'south really the long con of identity theft. Monitoring your credit will aid you place any items that shouldn't exist there, and the faster y'all find them, the easy they are to get off your report.
Freeze Your Credit
Freezing your credit can be abrasive, but it's likewise i of the best means to prevent identity theft. If your credit is frozen, no one can open new lines of credit in your name. This includes you though, so if you lot are shopping for a new home, car, credit card, or anything else that you might demand credit for, yous will need to call and unfreeze your credit.
Freezing your credit won't, all the same, prevent people from stealing and using the accounts y'all already have open. You lot nonetheless need to protect your banking company accounts and current lines of credit.
Utilise Strong Passwords (and Modify them Often!)
Countersign hacking is one manner that thieves can access your business relationship information. I've been getting notifications on Chrome lately that my passwords to certain websites may take been compromised. The best way to protect your passwords is to use strong passwords that aren't easily identifiable with yous and modify them often.
A strong password has a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. They as well sprinkle in a few capital letters, just to keep things interesting. Avoid using things that are special to yous, like children's and pets' names, your hometown, or your favorite sports squad.
The strongest passwords are random numbers and letters, merely those can be difficult to call up. I know experts don't recommend writing down passwords, but if y'all go on a log of passwords in a private journal locked up in your house, it's probably going to be safe from hackers.
Another thing yous tin can do is use some type of ii-gene authentication. Well-nigh banks and credit card companies offering this option. E'er since my outset experience with identity theft, I've needed to ship myself a text in order to log onto my bank account. So not only practice I demand to know my user proper name and password, simply I as well demand to have my phone with me, and enter the code I receive via text. It adds an extra layer of protection to my account.
Protect Your Computer
Protecting your passwords is only half of the battle when it comes to safeguarding your personal information in a technological earth. You also need to protect your computer. This means both physically and in the digital world.
Physically protecting your computer is mutual sense. Don't leave your laptop unattended at java shops, airports, or anywhere else you might be using it.
Protecting your figurer in the digital world is a little less intrinsic, but even so important. Make sure that you have a lock screen password, and don't allow any websites auto shop your of import passwords. Don't log into any of your fiscal accounts when connected to public WIFI, and make certain that your abode network is secure. Avert questionable websites, and ensure that you have skilful antivirus and anti-malware programs installed. Taking these steps will help prevent malicious code from getting into your estimator, and will assist ensure that your personal information is safe from hackers.
Protect Your Mail
Fraudsters don't take to be loftier-tech. Not everyone who is out to become your identity is going to exercise it by hacking your computer and stealing your information on line. Some simply go after the personal information that'south sitting correct outside your home – in your mailbox.
Virtually people become tons of spam mailers from credit card companies and dwelling refinance companies. It is all also easy for people looking for a quick buck to steal these offers out of the mail service and apply for them. They have your total proper noun and address right on them! Although I hope that those companies take ways of preventing fraud, I'd rather count on myself than on them. Make sure yous are bringing your mail service in every day, as soon as possible. This will requite people less of a adventure to steal these offers correct out of your box.
This is also another reason why monitoring your credit is so important. If someone does nab something out of your mailbox and gets issued a new line of credit in your proper noun, you lot will see it.
Use a Shredder
Speaking of low tech – dumpster diving is notwithstanding a existent matter. Usually, we call back of dumpster diving in terms of flipping or grabbing couches off the side of the road on trash day. But some folks take it to a whole new level. They are dumpster diving for your personal data.
Recollect about how many documents you accept in your house that have your personal data on them. Those credit card offers we just talked about have your name and address. You lot might have tax forms with your social security number or engagement of birth on them. Utility bills have all of your account information correct at that place on them – how easy exercise you lot think it would be to telephone call a utility visitor and guild a new service with but the information on the pecker? I'll bet you lot take tons of random documents laying around with personal data on them.
The all-time matter to practise with this stuff is shred it before yous throw it out. Invest in a shredder, and run everything that has any personal information on it through the shredder before y'all toss it. This will end anyone defended enough to become through your trash from gaining your personal information.
Gear up Security Alerts on your Banking company Cards and Credit Cards
My Capital 1 credit card sends me email notifications for shady-looking transactions. Usually, this happens if I'chiliad making a large transaction or if I'one thousand gas station hopping. I demand to pull out my phone and respond to the e-mail that yes, I actually did intend to buy a chiliad dollars worth of junk at Michaels, or yes, I did only get gas in Pennsylvania and Due west Virginia in the span of ii hours. If I don't answer, the transaction won't go through. I likewise have the choice of responding that no, I was not actually trying to spend a k dollars at the nearest cigar shop. If that happens, they volition automatically cancel my bill of fare, and I'll have to get a new one.
Although it tin be annoying, I'm incredibly thankful for this service. They may not catch all suspicious activeness, but it's good to know that they are paying attending, alerting me, and trying to stop fraudulent activities.
Know the Scams
Many identity theft scams come to you via telephone or email. In that location are so many that it's impossible to name them all, and nefarious players are ever coming upwards with new ones.
It's of import to know that legitimate companies (and government agencies) will non call you and try to guilt or strong-arm you into giving personal information over the phone. The IRS will non telephone call and threaten to arrest y'all if you don't pay immediately. Your banking company will not call you to verify your account number. Your social security number does not expire.
These are some of the common telephone scams that I've heard of, only the bottom line is to never ever give out personal information on the phone when someone calls you asking for it. If you lot aren't sure, you tin always hang upwards and phone call back from the company'due south official registered number (phone call the number on the back of your bank carte du jour, go to the IRS website and call their number, etc.). In that location are no real-world repercussions for verifying the identity of anyone who calls you. If they say those things are not allowed, it's a scam.
Email scams are incredibly common as well. By and large, e-mail scams come up in the form of phishing. That means a simulated website will send an email posing every bit a legitimate site. You lot might get an e-mail that looks similar it'southward from your banking company, asking you lot to "click here" to verify your account. The link volition fifty-fifty take you to a legitimate-looking website. Simply there are always signs. The URL won't be right – instead of bankofamerica.com, information technology will exist something similar bankofamerica.ex.com or bankofamerican.com. There may exist some typos on the webpage, or it might look slightly dissimilar than you are used to.
The important thing to remember is to never enter your account information if yous clicked on an email link. If you did receive an electronic mail asking for information, call the official number of the company to resolve whatsoever potential problems. If you need to log into your online account, do so from a trusted URL.
Bonus: Terminate Giving Your Information Abroad on Social Media
The games are fun, aren't they? Your Vampire proper name is the proper name of your first pet plus the street you grew up on. Okay, usually (but not all the time) they are a bit more sophisticated than that, but these social media games are designed to get your personal data.
And recall, your name is already linked to whatever answer you lot give. A tech-savvy thief volition only demand a few more pieces of data to access your accounts.
Even innocuous-seeming questions, like your last meal or the terminal prove you watched, tin can give hackers insight into you and your habits. Information technology's best to avoid these games.
Consider a Credit Monitoring Service
A final and bonus (this is the 11th, if you were counting!) mode to aid foreclose identity theft is to employ a credit monitoring service. Companies such equally Life Lock will monitor your credit and alert y'all if there is whatsoever suspicious or unusual activeness. Some plans even include credit monitoring and admission to your credit report from all three of the big bureaus. These services prevent you from having to do all this monitoring yourself. I like Identity Guard considering they apply IBM® Watson™ Bogus Intelligence engineering to constantly scan the web for threats to your identity. No homo can be defended like that 24/vii.
Other Ways to Foreclose Identity Theft
Identity theft is a growing type of crime. We always have to be a stride ahead of the people trying to take advantage of u.s.a.. This listing of ways to prevent identity theft is not all-inclusive. I'm sure that people smarter than me have developed other methods, and I'd love to hear about them! And then if yous have another fashion to forestall identity theft, I'd love to hear near it in the comments!
Source: https://partnersinfire.com/finance/10-ways-to-prevent-identity-theft/
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