The first step to protecting yourself is to protect your personal information - any and all data and information that can be used to identify yo. Be sure that you don't give your personal information to anyone who does not need it to perform a specific job for you, including:
- Your name
- Your Social Security number
- Your Driver's License number
- Your bank account, credit card, and other financial account information
- Any other number that is given to you as a means of identifying you individually
Sometimes, you have to give your personal information out. Setting up direct deposit payment methods at your job requires several pieces of personal information; as does filing taxes, opening a bank account, or even applying to rent an apartment. Although businesses are required to protect the personal information of their customers, monitoring your personal and financial account information will help protect your information even when those businesses are unable to:
- Regularly monitor your Credit Reports to find if any accounts have been opened in your name without your authorization
- Closely review your bank statements and credit card statements and verify that all charges made are accurate and authorized by you
- Whenever possible, request for your statements to be sent to you online rather than through your mail
- If you notice that you have not received any bills or account statements through your normal method of delivery, call the business directly to inquire about it
- When entering your information online, make sure you are connected on a secure connection and using the most updated version of your Web browser
Chances are, you'll also need some help monitoring, checking, and reviewing your personal information for inaccuracies and working to correct any inaccuracies that you might find. Help is available in several different places:
- Visit the Federal Trade Commission website and review the laws protecting your rights as a consumer and get advice about what to do if you believe you were a victim of identity theft
- Contact any of the three major credit bureaus for further clarification of your rights, how they apply to you, and to receive a free copy of your credit report.
- Enroll in a credit monitoring or identity theft risk management service to help monitor your credit and personal information. ID Guards offers both credit monitoring and identity theft risk management services.
