Identity Theft

Identity theft has been a growing concern for the past few years. People who will gleefully use your personal information in a wide variety of nefarious ways are out there, just waiting for you to slip up and give them something to work with. Once you give it to them, they might apply for credit in your name, use your credit cards as their own or give your name while committing other crimes. It's up to you to reduce your risks of being the identity they steal.

Obtaining information about someone isn't very hard. Besides simple theft of your purse, wallet or briefcase, criminals might rummage through your trash, call companies with which you do business and pretend to be you, or pick up the mail from your mailbox. Prevention is your only line of defense against these thieves. Keep an eye on your purse when you're in public. Shred sensitive information instead of merely throwing it in the trash. Don't hand over your social security number or credit card information to anyone who requests it--ask them what they're going to do with the information. Put sensitive mail in secured postal boxes instead of your unlocked mailbox. Most of the steps you need to take are common sense--stuff that you should be doing already.

You may also be sending out private information from your computer, as well. Take steps to prevent viruses and spyware from being installed on your computer, and don't allow people to use your computer unsupervised. Use a firewall to protect yourself. You should also take special care with the data on your laptop, since it is much more likely to be stolen.

When accessing your private information online, like when you're doing your banking, make sure that you use strong passwords. Don't use your pet's name or your kid's birthday. Choose random letters and numbers that will be hard for someone to guess. A good way to create random passwords that you will remember is to use the first letter of a phrase, replacing characters with numbers where possible. For example, "iam4ukbb" could stand for "I am for UK basketball".

You may not even be aware of it at first if someone is using your identity. Signs that you have become a victim include a denial of credit for no reason, mysterious charges appearing on your credit card, or receiving credit cards you didn't apply for or bills that you don't recognize.

If you find that you've become a victim, close your financial accounts (banking, credit cards) immediately. Alert the consumer reporting companies in order to place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. This will prevent the thief from opening new accounts in your name. Replace your identification cards, such as your driver's license. The Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Resource site will help point you in the right direction.