Thirteen Ways to Prevent Your Identity from Being Stolen

The United States Postal Service recently produced a brochure for consumers to read entitled “Fighting Back Against Identity Theft.” The US Postal Service reports that 2% of identity theft cases reported are because of some form of mail fraud, and have come up with 13 ways that anyone can use to help protected themselves from identity theft.  

Here are the tips that the Postal Service recommends:

• 1. Shred Financial Documents – Any paperwork that has personal information about you should be sent through a shredder before thrown in the trash. 
• 2. Don’t click on links in unsolicited emails. Since “phishing” is becoming a common problem, use up-to-date firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer. Plus, never click on links in emails. Instead, open a new window and go to the website address you know to enter information. (Fake Paypal emails are becoming more common in getting people’s information, so be extra wary when dealing with these.).  
• 3. Avoid common passwords. Do not use passwords such as your birth date, mother’s maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.  
• 4. Don’t give up personal information. Whether it’s over the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet, don’t give out anything unless you know who you are dealing with.  
• 5. Protect your Social Security Number. Never carry your social security number in your wallet or write your social security number on a check. 
• 6. Secure your personal information. This is especially important with roommates, outside help, or if having work done in your home. 
• 7. Be alert when bills don’t show up on time. If they do not arrive, they may have been routed somewhere else.  
• 8. Be proactive about credit card and other account statements. If an account or credit card arrives that you did not open, someone else did. Call that company immediately and have it closed.  
• 9. Be alert if you are unexpectedly denied credit. Credit is often denied for a variety of reasons, one of which is when too much credit is opened in a short period of time. Being denied credit may mean that someone else has already opened accounts in your name.  
• 10. Immediately respond to calls about purchases that you may have not made. Credit card companies create a profile of their clients detailing out the most common places a customer shops and the items that they frequently buy. If something is purchased that does not suit your profile, they will contact you for verification. Respond to the notice right away to head off potential theft and damage to your credit.  
• 11. Check your credit report. Any credit opened in your name will show up on your credit report. By staying on top of this, you will be able to stop identity theft before too much damage occurs.  
• 12. Regularly review your financial statements. You want to look for any and all charges that you did not make, especially since consumers usually have only 30 days to dispute items they did not authorize. 
• 13. Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. It’s better to get a new card with a new number and close the old card since this alone may stop a thief in possession of your information.
• 14. Bonus Tip: Opt out of pre-approved credit offers. Although people typically cannot get credit from a pre-approved credit card application without your social security information, it never hurts to opt-out of credit card offers. By doing so, you lessen the amount of mail that comes to your mailbox, and you will still be able to apply for credit online. Check out the FTC’s Consumer Alert webpage to see all the ways you can opt out.