45 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft

By DAVID@MONEYNING.COM

 Millions of people fall victim to identity theft each year. The number seems to be decreasing the past couple of years, but even one is too many in my opinion. To prevent the possible emotional and financial stress of having your identity stolen, just praying that the government and credit report agencies will further improve their system isn’t enough.

Below are 45 precautions you can take to prevent identity theft. Incorporate these into your way of life to greatly reduce the chances of fraud knocks on your door.

>Never give out your social security number unless it’s absolutely necessary for what you need to do.

Even if you have to give it out, make sure you know for sure who you are giving it to. Being comfortable with them is not enough. Know the other party and what they do, how they will use that number and where their privacy policy is located.

Don’t carry your social security card anywhere.

Get a paper shredder so no one can piece together important information (at the very least, rip up the documents yourself).

Protect those PIN numbers – Cover the number pad when you are entering pins at the ATM machine and never tell anyone about them. Also, never use something like 1234 as your pin please.

Pay a little more for an unlisted number – Again, fewer telemarketers mean fewer chances that you can become a target.

Try to separate your personal information as much as possible – Don’t write your SSN on your checks or keeping your driver licenses with your SSN card.  If something is lost, at least the crooks only have one piece of information and not everything about you.

Don’t Trust Anyone Over the Phone – Never give anything out over the phone. It’s just too dangerous.

Do not keep any sensitive information in your car – Credit cards, statements, checks are a nono.

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