Top Five Tips for Identity Theft Protection
In recent years more and more companies have sprung up offering identity theft protection to consumers. Here we introduce some simple steps you may take yourself to help protect your identity.
Although it is not technically possible to steal an identity, it is possible to use another person’s identity in a way which is fraudulent. Identity theft is a particular type of fraud whereby an individual pretends to be another person in order to either gain access to their money or personal accounts, or to benefit in some other way.
Identity theft protection is a crucial step in ensuring that no other individual is able to fraudulently use your identity. There are five basic types of identity theft which have been identified by the Identity Theft Resource Centre in the U.S, which include:
- Using another person’s business name to get credit
- Using another’s identity when arrested
- Using another’s identity to obtain goods and services
- Assuming another’s identity in daily life
- Using another person’s identity to gain access to drugs or medical care
Many different adverse consequences may be suffered if someone steals your identity. This includes having money stolen, loans taken out in your name and having bad scores placed on your credit report among others. Taking appropriate steps for identity theft protection should help you stop this from happening.
Many times personal information may be sold or swapped within groups of fraudulent individuals, giving many different people the opportunity to assume your identity in future. This leaves you open to potential identity theft in the future even if other specific instances have been identified and addressed.
Once a person has obtained this information it may be very difficult to prevent identity theft as it is not possible to change details such as your date of birth. This makes it extremely important to take appropriate steps for identity theft protection, which may include some or all of the following:
1. Take appropriate steps to make sure that nobody is able to access discarded paperwork or other items which may contain sensitive personal information. This may include shredding or burning old financial records, bank statements and letters containing Social Security information.
2. Protect yourself from online identity theft by ensuring that your computer security is up-to-date and has phishing filters turned on.
3. Never give personal details to anyone over the telephone or internet unless you are 100% sure who you are speaking to. Many fraudsters may impersonate employees from banks or other major institutions and claim to require personal details to confirm your identity.
4. Keep a careful eye on your credit report. This will record any loans taken out in your name and can be a very useful tool in identifying identity theft which has taken place. If you notice anything unusual or unexpected then contact the credit reference agency immediately.
5. If you are still worried about identity theft, consider trying a specialist identity theft protection service which will help you to safeguard your identity for a monthly or annual fee.
Using these simple steps should help you to protect your identity from theft and avoid the long-lasting consequences it may have.
For more about identity theft protection and preventing bad credit from showing up unexpectedly visit us.