The best way to fight identity theft is to take preventive measures. There are steps individuals can take to minimize the potential for identity theft.
Be Alert to Scams
There are several common scams and many of them involve an “opportunity” that must be acted on immediately. Here are some scams reported by the Federal Trade Commission and FBI:
- Phishing. Thieves send an email asking you to click on a link that takes you to a website that asks for your personal information. These are often marked as urgent.
- The “Nigerian” email scam. This is an online version of requesting money or a bank account number in return for getting a larger amount of money that never materializes.
- Spyware. Spyware can come from downloading information from Spam emails or websites online. Spyware is installed on your computer to give a hacker access to your information.
- Online Dating Scams. The fraudster creates a fake account, builds relationships, and then asks for money or personal information.
Make It Difficult to Get Your Information
Identity Thieves obtain information in various ways. Reducing the ways they can get your information increases your safety.
- Shred Documents. Documents with personal identification information should be shredded. A diamond cut shredder ensures that your information is unusable.
- Use single use credit card numbers. Some credit cards accounts issue single use credit card numbers for online purchases. If a thief gets a single use number and attempts to use it, they will be unable to do any damage.
- Carry minimal identifying information. Leave your Social Security Card, checkbook, and any credit cards you don’t plan on using in a secure location at home. This will limit the amount of information available if your wallet or purse is stolen.
- Be alert when entering PIN’s. A common way to obtain information is to watch a victim enter a PIN at an ATM machine or cash register. Avoid using PIN’s at cash registers and do not let anyone watch you enter a PIN at an ATM.
Report Suspicious Activity As Soon As Possible
Identity Theft issues can accumulate like a snowball. The sooner fraudulent activities are reported, accounts can be closed, bogus checks can be stopped, and alerts can be added to your credit report.
- Report Spam and Suspicious emails. Your email service provider should have a security team and security features that allow you to mark emails that can potentially harm you. Many of these emails can be blocked from your email account.
- Contact Credit Cards and Banks immediately. Legitimate information will be saved and moved to a new account number. The old account numbers will have fraud alerts placed on them.
- Complete an Identity Theft Report. An Identity Theft Report can be used to assist in resolving issues related to the theft.
- Place a Fraud Alert on your Credit Reports. A fraud alert or frozen credit report will notify anyone checking your credit report that there have been problems associated with identity theft.
External Links
- Identity Protection
- Trusted ID
- Protect My ID