ID Theft or fraud (especially W-2, online banking, and new account takeover fraud) can devastate your personal finance. The following tips are basic protections against ID theft risk exposure.
- Leave your Social Security card in a secure place at home to secure your social security number (SSN).
- Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information (your name, birth-date, social security number, or bank account number) by phone, mail, or online.
- Watch out for “shoulder surfers.” Especially when using an ATM, make sure no one is looking over your shoulder to see your PIN, and always take your receipt.
- Don’t use simple passwords. Use a mix of numbers, symbols, and letters (alphabets). If available, use biometrics such as thumbprints, facial recognition and retina scans.
- Check your credit reports periodically. Check the history and status (e.g., delinquent account) of your account through major credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). Visit the Experian site (http://www.experian.com/credit-report-partner/index-g.html?sc=675830&bcd=ad_c_sem_427_112807642029&k_id=7885a615-a324-4897-bd3c-a39b4ee888d4&k_kw=%2Bcredit%20%2Bagency&k_mt=b&pc=sem_exp_google&cc=sem_exp_google_ad_360793749_25001308989_112807642029_%2Bcredit%20%2Bagency_b_1t2_7885a615-a324-4897-bd3c-a39b4ee888d4&ref=generics&gclid=CN_G_prb49MCFQcPaQod5LQODw ) or TransUnion site (https://www.transunion.com/marketing/ppc-wave?channel=paid&cid=ppc:GOOGLE:c:TU_NB_Credit_Agency_Phrase:credit+agency:cid1&kwid=43700005559342724&opti_ca=168084061&opti_ag=12182791501&opti_ad=174126306459&opti_key=kwd-40236791&gclid=CIfEybfb49MCFQQbaQodNGAIag&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CLSs0rfb49MCFQNgAQodN8ECPw).
- Consider a security freeze on your credit files.
- Collect mail promptly.