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How To Prevent Identity Theft |
One of the most prevalent crimes in America right now is identity theft. The victims of this crime can attest that taking the time to prevent the thieves from stealing your identity is far better than trying to clean up the mess after the fact.
These thieves are very clever so you must constantly be on guard with all your personal information. There are very few people that need to have all your information. So keep it heavily guarded.
There are a few extra precautions you can take to prevent online identity theft. For instance, many credit card companies will now issue you a one-use credit card number for online purchases. What this does is protects your main account number. If someone steals the one time number, it will be of no use to him or her. When you are doing your shopping, shop with better known vendors. They are more likely to have safeguards in place to protect your information.
Installing a security system on your computer that has a firewall is also a good deterrent. If you have security in place, it makes the task of hacking into your information much harder. Most identity thieves are looking to do the least amount of work possible, so if you have a firewall, they will be more likely to move on as there are plenty out there that don't.
Phishing scams are used with only one goal in mind. Stealing your identity. The thieves using these emails are getting very good at duplicating letter heads from all major lenders and banks. What generally happens is they send out an email stating that they are from the customer service department of a specific bank. They usually claim to need to update their bank records. They will ask you to verify your bank account numbers, your pin numbers and your social security number. NEVER give that type of information to anyone through an email. You should call your bank and see if they in fact need that information. Once you call them, you will find out that you were a potential victim of identity theft.
When eating out and paying by credit card, make sure that you always retain a copy of the sales slip. This will help cut down on the chance that someone may steal your account number. One tip that I also use is the name on the card and the authorized signature is not the same. For instance the front of the card may have the name Lisa Smith, but the signature authorized to sign for it may be Lisa Ann Smith. Most thieves do not take the time to check this information. It will also be very easy to prove your case if someone does use your card.
One sure fire way for thieves to steal your identity is by getting information off a check you have written. Never under any circumstance write your social security number or a credit card number on a check. Then a thief will have every bit of information they need to successfully steal your identity. They not only have your bank account number but your address, social security number and your signature. They will not need to do much work to be successful.
The best advice, when it comes to minimizing your chances of become a victim, is keep all your information to yourself. There is absolutely no reason for any vendor to need that much information from you. Shred all documents that have your personal information on them and check your credit report frequently.
About AuthorFabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com. This virtual store specializes in personal defense products where you can buy pepper spray, kubatons, C2 Tasers, stun guns, nunchaku, telescopic batons, home security, and many other self defense products.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
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