Prevent Identity Theft With Six Commonsense Habits

By: Adrian Fletcher

It is estimated that around ten million people may be victims of identity theft this year. Although this number may seem huge, it has to be seen in the context of increasing use of things like internet and telephone shopping and more generally, the importance that information plays in our society. Information greases the wheels of just about any business these days, ensuring that it runs smoothly. And this allows identity thieves to take advantage of people that don't protect their personal details. This article will list six ways that you can prevent identity theft happening to you.

Don't throw out any documents or letters that have personal information on them. Rather, you want to tear up the letters or, better still, shred them with a proper paper shredder. Paper shredders are quite cheap now and easy to operate. It is a very simple task to do to protect your identity and an even simpler task for thieves to pick out revealing documents from your trash and use then to steal your identity.

Remove any letters from your mail box promptly. It goes without saying that thieves can go through your mail box and steal important letters that have your personal details on them. If this is a real problem in your area then getting a PO Box is a better solution to mail theft. Also, ensure that your mail is handled if you are away for work or vacation. A simple hold or redirect service that the postal services run for a small fee can help in this situation.

Social security numbers are a principal way in which thieves will steal your identity. Keep your Social security number in a safe place, like a safe or such like. You don't need to carry it on you and should be wary about who you give the number out to.

Be careful with any receipts that you are given. Dont leave them lying around at the ATM or bank for instance. If you use a credit card to pay for something, take the receipt with you as it contains information that is useful for identity thieves.

Avoid giving out any information to unsolicited telephone callers. Even if the call sounds legitimate and the information asked for does not seem that important, don't comply. Rather, find out who the person is, the company they represent and the reason for the call. Then call back the company on a number that you know is valid. You can ask about the person or the reason for requesting the information. If you are satisfied with the response then give the information up.

Stop the junk mail arriving. You don't want any personal information about you in the hands of people that send out mail that you consider to be junk. Reply to them by asking to have your name taken off their list. They must do this by law. Even your name and address can be used or sold to other lists.

Although these suggestions might seem straight forward and you may do some of them already, it is important to stay vigilant. Many people can become careless when nothing happens to them. Try to turn these suggestions into habits that you perform without thinking so that you never let your guard down. Hopefully this will prevent identity theft ever happening to you.

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Learn more identity theft protection measures at www.identitytheftsentry.com . Learn about phishing and other common identity theft scams.

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