Top Five Tips to Prevent Identity Theft in 2010
When people ask me what I do for a living I have a standard answer, just like the rest of us do. In my case, I say that my background as a former financial crime-fighter for the government inspired me to become a public speaker on topics that help people make financial decisions that enhance their personal and financial lives.
If you ask my mom what I do, she says I get paid to talk. And remembering how many times my report card said ‘talks too much in class’, I can see why she says it with a smile.
And that brings me to my point. The question I’m most often asked about identity theft is, ‘What’s the number one thing I should do to prevent identity theft’. The answers to this question are different for everyone, based upon where you live, the prevention methods you’re already practicing, and myriad other factors that put you either more, or less, at risk.
Without a doubt, if you incorporate any of the following into your current crime prevention strategy in 2010, you’ll be safer this year than you were in 2009.
Secure Your Home: We all know the doors and windows need to be locked, and some of us have a security systems, too. That’s great, But within our homes we need to organize and secure our personal information. Account statements, tax returns, bills, identity cards of any sort – these all need to be under lock and key within the home as well.
Shred It: You’ve heard it a million times, but many of us are still ripping up our mail rather than shredding. Aside from burning (not available in some counties) shredding is the only way to insure personally identifying information appearing on documents or other junk mail is destroyed. Credit solicitations are the most obvious, but consider shredding anything that has a name, address, or identifies organizations you associate with. Already made your donation this year? Shred that solicitation from your favorite charity. Those mail order catalog covers with bar codes on the back? I shred those too.
Protect Your Online Identity: Social networking accounts that include personal information such as our date of birth, where we live, and other lifestyle information are useful to an identity thief. Don’t include digits of any sort in a social networking profile, avoid posting pictures of children, and limit the kind of personal information that reveals when you’re at home or not.
Don’t Take the Bait – Avoid Phishing Scams: ‘Phishers’ attempt to lure you to fake websites via emails regarding accounts you may have with a legitimate financial institutions. Here they ask you to log in and collect your user id and password. If you receive an email about an account, contact your credit union directly rather than follow a link embedded in a strange email.
Check Your Credit: You’ve read it here before; we should all be checking all three of our credit reports at least once per year. Due to the increase in identity theft as a result of the recession, hyper vigilant consumers check credit reports for all family members, regardless of age. You can do it for free, without the benefit of seeing your credit score, at www.annualcreditreport.com.
Alicia Diefenbach is a former financial crime-fighter for the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions. After spending nearly a decade helping fraud victims seek restitution and educating consumers about various aspects of personal financial management, she went into business for herself.
Alicia now designs fun, non-commercial presentations and materials that help people make financial decisions that lead to success. She is a published consumer writer and speaks on topics that educate women, teens, adults, and seniors on various aspects of fraud awareness, and successful personal financial management.
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