Money Mondays: Protect yourself from Identity Fraud

admin | July 13, 2009

Identity fraud can happen to anyone. You work hard for what you earn and what you have, protect yourself from identity theft with a few tips below. Keep your confidential information private. Your bank or credit card company won’t call or e-mail to ask for your account information. They already have it. Keep an inventory of everything in your wallet and your PDA, including account numbers. Don’t keep your Social Security card or any card with your Social Security number, such as an insurance card, in your wallet. Order and review your credit report. You are allowed one free report each year from each of the three major credit agencies. Order reports here; it is the only place to get them for free. Stop getting banking and credit card information in the mail. Monitor your bank and credit card transactions for unauthorized use. Crooks with your account numbers usually start small to see if you’ll notice. The sooner you catch them, the easier the problems are to clear up. Keep your vehicle registration and insurance forms in a sealed envelope in your glove box and lock it and your car when at home or away. If you conduct business online, use your own computer. A public computer is less secure, as is wireless Internet. Look for suspicious devices and don’t let anyone stand nearby when you use an ATM. Take your card and receipt with you. Keep your PIN in your head, not in your wallet. Don’t store credit card numbers and other financial information on your cell phone. If you’re job hunting using résumé Web sites, don’t apply unless the employer has a verifiable address. Once you no longer need to store them, shred any bills or statements that have your personal information on them. (source: msn.com)