The Tornado Stole My Identity?
When you think of the carnage a tornado can cause, identity theft is not usually one of the ramifications that springs to mind. Usually, victims of natural disasters are so busy trying to pick up the pieces of their lives that identity theft is probably the furthest thing from their minds. However, victims of natural disasters are at a very real risk for identity theft. In this post, we’ll explain why victims of natural disasters are so vulnerable to identity theft and what you can do to prevent identity theft if you are a victim of a natural disaster.
How Tornadoes Steal Identities
Natural disasters, tornadoes and the like, don’t steal identities per se, but their aftermath makes victims easy targets for identity thieves. To understand why this is, think about all of the sensitive, important documents you keep in your home. You probably keep your birth certificate, bank statements, credit card statements, and social security cards in your home, like most people. If a tornado strikes your home, these documents could be strewn about for miles for anyone to see. Considering that past tornadoes have flung mail into different counties, it’s not unheard of that your personal documents might end up miles from your home. Similarly, volunteers will usually be headed into your area to help clean up after the fact. Your neighborhood will probably be teeming with people, including looters. Looters could easily go hunting for personal documents if they have intentions of identity theft. Or your information could simply fall into the wrong hands…a seedy neighbor in another county may now have your credit card statements on his front lawn.
What to Do
If you live in a tornado-prone area, you need to take certain precautions to protect your identity should a tornado ever strike. Taking preventive actions now can help you avoid a messy identity theft incident after a natural disaster, which is the last thing you will need if that ever happens. First of all, keep all of your important personal documents either off your premises or in a heavy-duty safe. If a tornado does strike, your documents will remain in tact and locked away even if the safe is blown about. Secondly, don’t leave any documents with personal identifying information lying around your home. Any such documents should either be locked away or shredded. These simple steps can help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft if a tornado or other natural disaster ever strikes.
Additional Resources:
What Documents You Should be Shredding
Identity Theft Does Not Take a Vacation When You Do
Protect Your Bank from Identity Theft
The Growing Problem of Medical Identity Theft
Should I Really Be as Scared of Identity Theft as I Am?
Can My Trash Lead to My Identity Being Stolen?
Your Wireless Network Could Be Putting Your Identity at Risk
