It’s fairly easy to protect yourself against identity theft when you’re online, since all you have to do is keep your softwares patched and up to date, install a good antivirus and anti spyware program, and to never visit untrustworthy sites as well as click links on untrustworthy emails. However, very few people know that a lot of identity thieves find their victims offline. Here are some ways you can protect yourself against ID theft:
Tips for Avoiding ID Theft
1. Shred bills, receipts and any documents that may have sensitive information before throwing them away. Lots of identity thieves do something they call “dumpster diving”, which does not literally mean they dive in dumpsters, but they tend to sift through people’s garbages for these things. Sometimes a credit card billing with your name and account number is enough to compromise your account.
2. Do not use universal passwords. Try to keep separate usernames and passwords for your different accounts. If you have trouble memorizing different account details, write all of them down in a single piece of paper, and protect that paper the same way you would protect your credit card. In fact, try to keep both in the same place - your wallet.
3. Check your credit history every once in a while. You may not be aware, due to the fact that you don’t experience your card being used fraudulently, but an identity thief may have used your name and details to sign up for another card and have used it without paying. You won’t be liable for the fraudulent purchases, but it may affect your credit score severely, so you need to be vigilant. - by Foo www.spywarenews.com
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