Get Financially Fit!
Tips to Help Prevent Identity Theft
by Brion Lau
On May 1st, Eric Heckman wrote a blog article called, http://www.financialfitnesspro.com/blog/?p=26“>Protect Yourself from Identity Theft.” Recently, I came across another article that was published by Consumer Reports back in Oct 2003. The key portion of the article I’d like to share with you are Consumer Report’s fourteen tips to reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
- Check your financial statements promptly and report potential errors immediately. This applies to your banking, brokerage, and credit card statements.
- Review your credit reports regularly. As I mentioned earlier, you are entitled to get a copy of your free credit report annually from http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
- Protect your personal information such as social security number, birth date, and mother’s maiden name.
- Opt out of all information sharing at your financial institution; check your company’s financial privacy notice, which is mailed annually and usually posted on their companhy website. Also opt out of pre-approved credit offers by calling the Credit Reporting Industry Pre-Screening Opt-Out Number at (888) 567-8688.
- Don’t carry ID that contains sensitive data when traveling unless absolutely necessary.
- Lock up your personal belongings in desks, cabinets, and safes at work and at home.
- Shred and destroy sensitive information with a cross-cut shredder. Also use hard-drive shredding software or remove and destroy your hard drive before discarding a computer since deleting files does not provide adequate protection.
- Guard your mail using a separate P.O. Box or install a locked mailbox at home.
- Always keep your eye on your credit card at retail locations to avoid “skimming”. Thieves can use a handheld card reader to copy the information from your card’s magnetic strip.
- Avoid using private or strange-looking automated teller machines (ATMs).
- Watch out for “shoulder surfers” when using pay phones or accessing the Internet in public. Also, don’t use cordless phones to conduct sensitive financial or medical business as your converation may be picked up on other phones (or by using eavesdropping equipment).
- Install firewall, virus-detection, and spyware programs on your personal and work computer.
- Quit your browser and log off after using the Internet in public locations. Don’t pay bills, bank, or conduct any financial transactions on public computers.
- Deal only with reputable websites and check their priavcy / security policies before making purchases, trading stocks, or banking online. Don’t respond to unsolicited emails requesting personal information.
- Create strong passwords with at least eight characters (alphanumeric).
- Finally, ask how your empoyer safeguards your records.
Although these tips were written almost three years ago, they still hold true and will help ensure your financial fitness!
