Debt Reduction Advice | Debt Reduction Advice

The victims of identity theft are as varied as the methods used to steal someone’s identity, and as numerous as the hours it takes to clear up the financial and emotional wreckage left in the wake of criminals who perpetrate this very personal form of fraud. Sometimes these criminals are the employees of the businesses where you write your checks; sometimes they are relatives who use your social security number to obtain credit or set up a utility bill in your name at their home; and sometimes they are robbers who steal your purse or wallet, dig through your trash, or rifle through your mailbox. There are high-tech ways to steal your identity over the internet, and low-tech ways to steal your identity as you go about your daily activities. Regardless of the methods, there are concrete things you can do to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft.

The first and most common form of identity theft happens through the mail. Get a locking mailbox or make arrangements to get your mail directly from the post office. Many identity thieves rummage through mailboxes for credit card offers; tax documents that have your social security number printed on them; bank and credit card statements that list your account numbers, and for actual credit cards or insurance cards that arrive in the mail. While most credit cards require activation from the home phone number listed on the account, some allow activation from any number and some even allow the card to be used and charges incurred without phone activation. For some victims, especially when replacement cards are sent automatically in the mail, it can be a month before they even realize their account has been compromised and their new card is missing.

Investing in a paper shredder can also be a good way to prevent identity theft before it happens. Shred credit card offers, credit card convenience checks, and any paperwork containing your personal information before you throw it in your trash. Statistics show that an alarming number of people do not check their bank statements or credit card statements monthly. Sign up for online access to your banking and credit card accounts, and check them frequently for unauthorized purchases. If you see suspicious or fraudulent activities then close the accounts immediately and report the transactions to your financial institution as well as local law enforcement. Awareness is the first step to prevention, and a few simple precautions and practices like these, will go a long way towards keeping you from being another one of the many faces and victims of identity theft.