Preventing Identity Theft
By Rick Hazeltine
Staff Editorial Writer
Perhaps it started with a phone call. A person on the other end of the line says something about being behind on your credit card payments. Of course, you know you diligently pay your bills on time. This must be a mistake. But soon surprise gives way to a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.
You've just officially become one of the estimated 9 million people who are the victims of identity theft each year according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Because identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, many people are asking, "how do I go about preventing identity theft?"
Fortunately, there is a lot you can do in regards to preventing identity theft. And most require knowledge and diligence about your financial life. As an old sports slogan goes, "The best offense, is a good defense."
Here are some of the best ways for preventing identity theft:
- Protect Your Social Security Number: Regardless whether it's Orwellian or not, in many instances of daily life, we ARE our SSN. Getting someone's SSN is like hitting the lottery for identity thieves. The No. 1 way for preventing identity theft is making sure no one gets your SSN. First, don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet and it's never a good idea to write your number on anything because it is easy to lose or misplace. Keeping your SSN to yourself unless absolutely necessary is by far the best and easiest way for preventing identity theft.
- Turning Your Trash Into Treasure: It's amazing what we casually discard in our daily trash - pre-approved credit card offers, financial statements, dated bank statements, utility bills, even the annual Social Security statement that's sent in the mail. All of these items can help identity thieves turn your garbage into gold. The best course for preventing identity theft regarding these items is to purchase a shredder.
- It's in the Mail: Remember those little slots in the front door where the carrier would deposit mail - twice a day! OK, those days are long gone and even in big cities where this was the norm, mail boxes seem to be getting farther and farther from the front door and closer and closer to identity thieves' hands. One key to identity theft protection is to make sure you have a lockable mailbox. These allow the mail carrier to deposit your mail and keep an identity thief from making a withdrawal. It's also important to take your mail to the post office or to a secure postal mail box rather than leave it out for your mail carrier - or an identity thief.
- Are They Who They Say They Are? There has been likely no greater amount of time spent in the history of man than that devoted to separating humanity from its money. Identity thieves are particularly adept at coming up with ways to present themselves as legitimate individuals. It's not uncommon for them to pose as bank employees, Internet service providers and even employees of government agencies. They do this to gain your trust and obtain sensitive personal information from you. Do not give this information to anyone over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you initiated the contact or are absolutely sure with whom you are dealing.
- Technology Can Be Treacherous: The Internet is a great resource and it's difficult to remember how we survived without it. But it's also an easy avenue for identity thieves to reach millions of users. One of the best ways for preventing identity theft on the computer is to never give out sensitive personal information over the Internet. Avoid get-rich-quick offers and other scams that are mostly geared to getting your Social Security number, account numbers and other sensitive personal and financial information.
