What is Identity Theft and how do you protect against it?

 

Identity theft is a serious crime, which involves someone stealing your personal information such as your name, date of birth and address or credit card number and then using it without your knowledge to carry out fraud and other crimes. This type of theft is growing, and the Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 9 million American citizens are victims of identity theft each year.

 

Identity theft covers a wide range of fraudulent crimes. Thieves may steal your personal details in order to apply for and set up new bank accounts or credit cards in your name, or they may steal your existing bank/credit card account details directly and make a number of purchases and charges that you will not find out about until your next statement arrives. Identity thieves can also steal information such as Social Security numbers, passports and drivers licenses to set up false identities and commit a number of other serious crimes.

 

It is important to be vigilant against identity theft, as it can be a very time consuming and costly problem to put to rights. Identity theft is in essence an opportunist crime though, and there are many steps you can take to protect yourself against becoming a victim.

 

1) Shred every document before you put it in the rubbish, especially bank statements, billing information and anything with your name and address on.

 

2) Keep important documents in a secure place at home, preferably a locked domestic safe.

 

3) Always check your bank accounts and credit cards each month for any suspicious activity and if you do find anything unusual report it immediately.

 

4) Protect the information on your home computer by installing up-to-date firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software.

 

5) Be alert to suspicious emails, telephone calls and postal enquiries asking you to provide personal information. Never reply to these unless you have confirmed that they are legitimate and never click on links to websites through unsolicited emails.

 

6) Never leave wallets, handbags and luggage unattended, and only carry your credit/bank cards, passport and driver's licence around if it is absolutely necessary.

 

7) Avoid writing down key security codes and passwords such as PIN numbers and account logins. If absolutely must write them down then encrypt them with a code only you will understand and keep them in a locked, secure place.

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