Identity Theft and Prevention Tips

Identity theft can happen through several ways. Evil-minded identity thieves can steal your vital information through the Internet, by hacking websites or by gaining access to your trash. So, it is absolutely necessary that you should protect your information from these thieves. The following tips may be useful:

- You should be careful with all the papers that contain any information that may personally identify you. These details may give leads to identity thieves. You should remember that these thieves are highly clever and cunning and they can piece together details even if they get them one by one. Details like your date of birth and that of your family members, Social Security Numbers, bank account information, numbers of your credit cards, PIN Numbers of your credit, debit and ATM cards, convenience checks you get along with your billing statements, canceled credit cards, etc. are the information they may be looking for and hence, you should ensure that these papers get the importance they deserve. Likewise, your tax documents for the past years should also be carefully stored.

- When you want to get rid of papers that contain your personally identifiable details, you should shred them into tiny pieces before disposing them of. If you are running a company that has a large volume of papers or documents, it is better you have a shredder for disposing of vital documents safely.

- You should never carry your Social Security Card with you. You should store it in a secure place even at your home because sometimes, unknown people and strangers may drop in at your place. You should not divulge your Social Security Number to others also.

- When you use your debit, credit or ATM card at an ATM machine, you should hide the panel with your body so that no one can see the PIN numbers you punch on the panel. Likewise, if you get emails asking for your bank account details, credit or debit card numbers, you should not reply to them.

- If you have more than one credit or debit card, you should not carry all of them with you when you venture out for shopping or other purposes. You should have with you only that particular card you intend to use.

By adopting these simple steps, you can save yourself from the evil designs of identity thieves.