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Six Habits To Prevent Identity Theft |
By:
Adrian Fletcher |
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Six Habits To Prevent Identity Theft
Adrian Fletcher
It is estimated that around ten million people may be victims of identity theft this year. Although this number may seem huge, it has to be seen in the context of increasing use of things like internet and telephone shopping and more generally, the importance that information plays in our society. Information greases the wheels of just about any business these days, ensuring that it runs smoothly. And this allows identity thieves to take advantage of people that don't protect their personal details. This article will list six ways that you can prevent identity theft happening to you.
Don't throw out any documents or letters that have personal information on them. Rather, you want to tear up the letters or, better still, shred them with a proper paper shredder. Paper shredders are quite cheap now and easy to operate. It is a very simple task to do to protect your identity and an even simpler task for thieves to pick out revealing documents from your trash and use then to steal your identity.
Don't leave your mail in the mail box for a long time. Again, opportunistic thieves may go through your mail box for any letters that give away personal information. You could even get a PO Box for increased security but this may be a cumbersome way to get your daily mail. If you go on vacation then ask the postal service to hold your mail or redirect it to a trustworthy location while you are away.
Social security numbers are a principal way in which thieves will steal your identity. Keep your Social security number in a safe place, like a safe or such like. You don't need to carry it on you and should be wary about who you give the number out to.
Be careful with any receipts that you are given. Dont leave them lying around at the ATM or bank for instance. If you use a credit card to pay for something, take the receipt with you as it contains information that is useful for identity thieves.
Don't give any personal details to cold calling telephone people. They may sound legitimate but this is no guarantee that they are legitimate. Better still, ask them who they are, the company they are calling on behalf of and the reason for the call. Then phone back the company on a verified number and ask about the person and reason for calling. This should prove the legitimacy of the call and you may want to give the information they asked for away then.
Get rid of the junk mail. You don't want any of your information, even your name and address, on mail that you have no time or need for. Respond to unwanted junk mail by asking to have your name removed from the mailing list. They are obliged to remove your name by law and you should not have tonnes of meaningless junk mail in your mail box.
Although these suggestions might seem straight forward and you may do some of them already, it is important to stay vigilant. Many people can become careless when nothing happens to them. Try to turn these suggestions into habits that you perform without thinking so that you never let your guard down. Hopefully this will prevent identity theft ever happening to you.
For advice on http://identitytheftsentry.com/identity-theft-protection.html identity theft protection, visit http://www.identitytheftsentry.com/) http://www.identitytheftsentry.com . Learn about phishing and other common scams.
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Article Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article152588.html |
Article: Six Habits To Prevent Identity Theft
Author: Adrian Fletcher
Total Views: 28
Word Count: 581
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