Steps I Took to Prevent Identity Theft in My Life
I had heard about all the identity theft horror stories that people have gone through and I decided that I should take the time to make sure I was protected. I had never really thought about identity theft or how it could affect me before, but now that I am getting older I figured that it was important. The following are some of the things I did in my own life to make sure that I was protecting myself. It is not really that hard and I hope that you could maybe learn a thing or two from me as well. It is so important to protect your identity before you run into any trouble, because when you run into trouble it may be too late.
Protected the Use of My Social Security Number
The Social security number is one of the top numbers that you must protect. If a thief has access to this number then they can basically control your entire financial situation. This is often times looked at as the holy grail. What you can do is make sure that you never carry your Social Security card with you. This is just in case your wallet gets stolen. Also, whenever somebody asks me to fill out my Social Security number I make sure it is a valid reason. I never give it away over the phone or through email because that can be too dangerous.
Prevention of Mail Fraud
This is another big one. Any time you get important documents or and application in the mail do not just throw them away. I make sure that I tear up every single one so that no one gets any information from it or can fill it out in my name. Mail fraud is something that is very popular. Also, whenever I have an important bill I take it to the Post Office and drop it off there. I do not place it in my mailbox. Call me paranoid, but taking it straight to the post office eliminates the possibility of someone stealing it from my mailbox at home. Small steps like this are important.
Limit What I Carry in My Wallet
At one point I had a large wallet filled with many different things. I realize though that the more things I carry the more I could lose or have stolen. From that day on I began to cut down on the number of things in my wallet. I do not carry all my credit cards at once. I do not carry checks in my wallet. Basically I have just the bare minimum; my license, cash, one credit card. I do not want to run the risk of losing anything. Also, I take the time to make sure I pick up my credit card every time I use it. I do not want it to be left at a store or picked up by someone who I do not know. This is another small step that could pay off.
There you have it. That is what I am currently doing to make sure that I can eliminate identity theft in my life. Hopefully you are taking some steps as well, because this is very important. If we continue down the right path hopefully we will not have to worry about identity theft in our lives any longer!
