Article Trunk



Preventing Identity Theft

08.06.2008 · Posted in Technology Articles

Identity thefts have been going on for some time. There are cases varying from simple credit card fraud to things done in major corporation scale. There are cases dating back to who knows when, for instance, claiming to be a hero and taking advantage of that fact. Today, in this information flooded society, where things are registered in numbers, though it seems harder, it might actually be easier for some to steal your identity since all they have to do is get some numbers that represent you and they can be you to banks and businesses.rnrnThe con-artists who steal your identity do many things with your identity. They steal your credit card number, bank account number, or even social security number through many different routes. The con-artists use these numbers to mainly use your credit to get as much money as possible. It is harder to catch them because they do not steal money or valuables that are visible to you, but they do it through your credit, ruining your credit and maybe even putting you into tough spots, for instance, when you need a loan, they deny you because of some credit records that you are not aware of.rnrnPeople today never think that they would be the one to get their identity stolen since they think they are taking the utmost care to protect their identity. Some people are doing them correctly, but not everyone knows how to protect themselves. The main things to worry about are the documents and important financial documents such as bills and bank statements. They hold your identification numbers or account numbers that may lead to an information leak through just a simple phone call. Either cross shred them or keep them in a very secure spot. Even the junk mails like the advertisement and credit card offers should be shredded or you should at least cut out the parts where it states your information such as your address and name.rnrnThere are methods to reduce junk mails and junk calls through websites set up by either the do not call registry or national credit bureau. You should look over your bills carefully each month to see any irregular activities, and you might even catch some mistakes made by the credit card company. Other thing that you should do is change your pin number on your cards regularly so it would be harder for people to figure it out, even your friends since some con-artists may be acting like your friends to get information from you.rnrnJust be careful of everything because you cannot be too careful. There are websites and organizations to help prevent identity theft, like identitytheft.com where they give you more guidelines to prevent identity theft and will help you take care of those who try to take advantage of you. You will be able to find some other people discussing their experiences and some people on how to prevent identity theft. So try to make use of the resources and stay safe.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.