Identity Theft Prevention

We can, and should, do all we can to reduce the chances of someone illegally entering our home and stealing out possessions. We can ensure that we are alert to the possibility of getting assaulted or mugged in public places and do what we can to guard against it.

We can do these things and more - yet still become a victim of crime by having our identity stolen.

In the modern world, many criminals find that the crime of assuming someone else's identity and emptying their bank account or obtaining credit in their name is one of the most lucrative crimes of all.

It would be foolish to hope that we can ensure that this sort of crime never happens to us. After all most of us have a bank account of some sort, maybe several of them, we have social security numbers, mortgages, credit and debit cards, and possibly several store cards.

We would truly have to be living in a cave not to be connected to the modern way of life in some way or another. And if we are there is the risk, however slight, that we could fall victim to an identity scam.

We are our own best identity theft protection.

I.D. Fraud does happen, but by being careful in our daily lives and knowing the ways the fraudsters attempt to obtain our personal information, we can go a long way to prevent it happening to us.

Everyday we accumulate pieces of paper. We receive countless documents through the mail and bring home bills and receipts from shopping trips. We can't keep everything, that would be ridiculous. So . . .

. . . we toss away anything we don't absolutely need to keep. After all it's good housekeeping, we don't want to fill our homes with junk. But wait, think of the information those pieces of paper may contain, information that is priceless to an identity thief.

Identity Theft Prevention – Identity thieves would love to get their hands on the personal information that arrives in your mail.

Identity fraudsters love to get their hands on documents containing account numbers, social security numbers and other information - and your garbage can may be just the place to find it.

Make it part of your identity theft prevention not to throw out any document that contains information about you, without first shredding it. More information here – Home Paper Shredding.

Sometimes though thieves get their hands on sensitive documents before they even get to you, by stealing your mail right out of your mailbox.

The contents of a good deal of your mail is as valuable to criminals as it would be if the envelopes were stuffed with cash. Can someone take the mail right out of your mailbox? Don't take chances, get yourself a locking mailbox, or better yet, a high security mailbox.

Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are a blessing. Imagine going back in time to a world where ATMs did not exist. If you needed cash you could only obtain it during banking hours and then only from a branch of a bank that you have an account with.

However, alongside all the advantages of cash machines are some pitfalls. Thieves use many tactics and scams involving ATMs to steal your cash. When the scam involves your PIN (Personal Identification Number,) the thieves can also commit other types of identity theft.

Whilst these machines are used quite safely the vast majority of the time, it is necessary to keep identity theft prevention in mind when you use them. ATM Theft Prevention.

For almost as long as the telephone has been around it has been used by fraudsters to scam the unwary in various ways.

In today's data based society, criminals make use of the phone to fraudulently obtain information that enables them to steal your identity or defraud you in some way. Learn how to guard against telephone fraudsters . . . Phone Scams - Beware of phone calls from scam artists.

Imagine if you received a hefty bill for medical treatment that you know you did not have. Or, debt collectors called at your door demanding payment for health related debt that you know absolutely nothing about.

Identity Theft Prevention – Keep all personal documents, such as passports safe.

You would wonder what is going on, how could these things be happening to you, it would feel like a nightmare.

Nightmares like that can happen if you become a victim of identity thieves who steal your health related information, there are many ways they can do this.

As with other kinds of ID theft, you usually don't know you are a victim until some time after the crime. Medical Identity Theft.

It is estimated that around five percent of ID fraud involves thieves cloning the identities of children – infants, minors and teens.

Do you know how attractive child identity theft is for thieves? Don't take chances, learn how you can help to keep your child's personal information safe. . . Child Identity Theft.

Phishing Email – Do not fall for a phishing scam. A phising email can be very deceptive. You think that you have message from your bank. The fraudulent email is designed to encourage you to disclose personal information such as your account number, PIN number, Social Security number, username, security number, etc.

Secure Passwords. A well constructed strong password is harder for an identity thief to crack.

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