Stop identity theft by taking measures now to prevent someone from stealing your identity, your credit, and your good name. If criminals have stolen your identity, you must act now to recover before more damage is done.

After Hurricane Wilma struck Ft. Lauderdale in 2005, the entire county went offline. No power, no computer. No computer, no Internet. You couldn’t buy gas because the electric pumps were out. You could only buy what groceries were still on the shelf if you had cash. Credit and debit cards were rendered useless.Things always go wrong at the worst possible time.

At the worst possible moment, hackers struck my PayPal account, overdrew my connected bank account and credit card, and left me penniless when I was most vulnerable.

As more and more crooks and cons become Internet savvy, identity theft is now the fastest growing crime in the U.S.

Identity theft falls into 4 categories:

-financial (stealing goods and services) -criminal (fake identity when arrested) -cloning (pretending to be someone else) -business (using another’s business to obtain credit)

We mostly think of identity theft when a stranger uses our credit to obtain goods and services, but the others can be even more devastating. Try applying for a job after someone gave your identity when they were convicted and jailed for a felony.

Identity Theft Prevention:

1.don’t be free and easy with your Social Security number

2.don’t print your SSN on checks

3.don’t carry blank checks or credit cards you don’t need – you may not miss them when they have been stolen

4.be especially careful about giving your SSN over the phone or online

5.don’t throw away official government letters or credit card statements without shredding

6.secure your mail with a locking mailbox if necessary

7.sign new credit cards as soon as you receive them

8.do not leave credit card receipts behind at restaurants, gas stations, or stores

9.choose tough-to-figure-out logins, passwords, and PIN numbers

10.use different passwords for different accounts

11.change your PIN numbers and passwords every 90 days

12. do not carry your PIN numbers in your wallet or purse

13. change the passwords often for services like PayPal which are linked to your bank account and credit cards

14. put your phone numbers on the national Do-Not-Call Registry (1-888-382-1222 )

15. don’t give your phone number to those who don’t need it (stores – pay attention)

16. do a Google search for your own name and SSN to see what you can find out about yourself

17. choose online vendors carefully – Google before purchasing with a credit card – look for a secure site button

18. keep an eye out for shoulder surfers in public transactions

19. be wary of skimmers wherever your credit card is out of your sight (restaurants)

Page 1 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next