Are you one of the millions of people who are worried about identity theft? If so, you are not alone in these worries. Take it from me; it can happen at any time and from any place. I have had my debit card hacked on at least two occasions, once from someone in Mexico. I have also had a credit card I had never used by me anywhere used to purchase items from the iTunes store. In all these instances the bank and credit card company assisted me in clearing up the mess and making sure I was not out any money. But I have also had my personal information stolen from my employer on three separate occasions, and I work for the Federal government! The last time I was part of the Chinese hacking of personnel files from the Office of Personnel Management. And that time they got everything, date of birth, family members, fingerprints, addresses and my social security number. The whole works that would enable them to steal my identity or sell it to someone who wants an identity. So there is not much you can do to protect yourself when it is other people who have the information already, but there are steps you can take to minimize any theft from you directly.
Always safeguard your social security number or any identifying number such as an account number. But the social security is the Holy Grail for an identity thief. That number and a little bit of more personal information about you would allow someone to get loans in your name, file fake tax returns or get medical attention as you. All are not good scenarios under any circumstance. So protect your social security number as well as any other identifying numbers. That means do not carry your social security card with you and never leave any personal documents or devices with identifying numbers in a place where they can be easily stolen. And if you are required to provide your social security number do so cautiously and only when absolutely required. Many medical practices ask for your social security number, and in most instances, it is not required for any purpose so ask them how they will be protecting your information and if you are not satisfied by the answer to refuse to provide them the number or go elsewhere. In many instances, if you refuse to provide your social security number they will substitute your driver’s license number.
Now if you are on Medicare, your social security number is printed right on your Medicare card. The government is supposed to be phasing this out over the next few years, but there are some ways in which you can protect yourself and that pesky Medicare card. First, do not carry the card with you that has your social security number printed on it, but rather carry a copy of the card with the majority of the number blacked out. Then on the reverse write the contact information of someone who can provide medical providers your social security number in the event of an emergency. Only carry the actual card when you have a doctor’s appointment.
Email and phone scams target elderly people and those who may not be as well informed as others. First, the Internal Revenue Service will never send you an email or call you informing you that you have an outstanding tax issue. They only contact you via the US Mail system to your address on file. So if you get a call or an email from someone stating they are with the IRS hang up immediately if it is a call and in the event, it is an email just delete it without even opening it. And a newer scam that many are falling for is a phone scam that the caller pretends to be the police and that you have outstanding warrants against you. In these scams, people are either looking for account numbers or in many instances payment through the use of prepaid cards. From what I have read and seen on the news the police like the IRS do not call requesting payment for anything, they will send you a letter via the US Mail or an actual Sheriff will come to your address on record.
And other emails and phone scams exist so be aware of anything out of the ordinary. I know I have gotten calls from a number in New York and the Caller ID says something similar to Microsoft stating there is a virus on my computer and they need remote access to delete said virus. Now I have had Microsoft call me several times on different occasions and in all instances the area code was one from Seattle, Washington and then only after I contacted them first on their official website. Email scams are becoming more and more prevalent. In these, they are official looking and will contain a link to a site that looks almost exactly like the site of the real company. I have seen these for such companies as PayPal, Federal Express, Bank of America and the US Postal Service. If you do click on the link, it will either download malware that could steal personal information from your computer or the site will ask you to log into your account to take care of some issue. Either way, this is a scam, and these people are looking for information to assist in stealing your identity or financial information.
Passwords are another area of weakness for most individuals. I know most people are guilty of using a few passwords for all their logins. This is the wrong thing to do as all someone has to do is get one of these passwords, and they could have access to multiple accounts of yours. Strong passwords should be ideally a random series of letters, both upper and lower case, numbers and special characters and at least eight to twelve characters long. Also, no matter if the site requires you to change your password it is a good idea to do so at least every 90 days.
And do not forget the old fashion ways of stealing one’s identity, dumpster diving or your mailbox. That means Shred all papers that contain any identifying numbers and always papers that have your social security number, any account numbers or pre-approved credit card forms. These are gold to an identity thief so do not give them easy access to these items. And do not go cheap on a shredder either and get one that will shred in a cross cut manner and not a strip shredder. It is also a good idea to get one that will shred CD’s and credit cards as well. They cost a little more but will help protect your personal information from being stolen.
Finally protect your electronic devices the best you can as well. In the case of a smartphone use a password, at least a six-digit numeric code, or fingerprint scanner. And never click on any links that come to you via email or text that you do not know the source of the message. Many texts are sent with links that will install information stealing programs that can capture your banking or financial apps information with ease and if you do have sensitive information stored on your phone, as many people do, ensure that it is also protected to the best of your ability. Many phones can be wiped clean in the event that they are lost or stolen so keep that in mind as well.
In today’s high-tech age, it is nearly impossible to prevent someone from getting some of your information. But by taking these steps, you can limit the chances. A final step that I use and I advise everyone to use is a credit freeze with all three credit reporting agencies. What this does is stop anyone from gaining access to your credit report without your knowledge and by you first lifting the freeze for a specified period. This will prevent anyone from gaining credit with your social security number. If you are the victim of identity theft, this is a free process, if not it will cost you anywhere between $5 and $10 with each agency. Then depending on your state of residence there may be a fee to lift the freeze temporarily or permanently. But it is the most effective way to protect yourself from identity theft.
If you have any questions on these steps to take to protect yourself or what other things you can do to protect yourself, feel free to contact me directly or leave a comment here.
