Ways To Prevent Identity Theft!

Identity Theft is a rapidly expanding crime in the United States with over 7 million victims between 2007 and 2008. With so many people falling victim to this invisible crime, now is the time to think about what you can do to prevent identity theft from ruining your life. By following the 10 effective prevention techniques below you will greatly reduce the chances of an identity thief getting hold of your private and personal details..

1) You must ensure the security of your mail! Depending where in the country you live, you may find that you do not have a lockable secure mailbox. Maybe if you live in the country, your mailbox may be located some distance from your home. This is a perfect opportunity for identity thieves to lift your confidential mail including bank statements, credit card bills and more. Why not think about getting a lockable mailbox? You should also consider renting a P.O Box to store your post while you're on vacation or away with work.


2) Get into the habit of shredding your waste mail! This is such an important point to remember. People rarely consider the security of their waste mail, however 'dumpster diving' is a technique commonly used by identity thieves to obtain your details from your trash. By shredding the important documents containing account numbers and details, you will prevent dumpster diving by rendering the trash unreadable.

3) You should protect your Social Security Number at all times! Never carry your Social Security card on your person if you can possibly help it. Also do not ever write your Social Security number on your checks as a combination of the two pieces of information is a jackpot find for identity thieves.

4) Always be aware of store employees when paying by credit or debit card. Don't ever allow your credit card to be out of your sight. A practice known as skimming allows thieves to make exact replicas of your card in a split second by swiping your card through a small device, which records the information to be printed on to a blank card at a later date.

5) Always be aware of who you are speaking with, in person or over the telephone. If somebody contacts you and asks for any personal or private details, do not give them anything until they have confirmed who they are and what they are calling for. Also it is crucial you do not offer any information until you are confident the call is legitimate.

6) Your credit file is an extremely important piece of information that is crucial to any credit applications you ever make. You should review your report at least once per year, ideally once every six months. If you notice anything suspicious you should contact your credit card companies, banks and financial institutions and all three credit bureau's immediately. These are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

7 Take a very careful approach to giving out your personal details. Social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are regularly prowled by identity thieves for private details such as addresses, date of birth and employment details.

Awareness is the key to avoiding identity theft, but there are many more advanced techniques thieves are using to steal your identity! The information in this article is taken from the somekeyword. If you are worried by identity theft and would like to learn the tips and techniques you can use to defend yourself against identity thieves in 2008, somekeyword

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