Twelve Low Tech Methods to Protect Your Identity
1.) Week after week most people get mail from credit card companies asking for membership. This is an identity thief’s favorite method of getting an account with someone else’s identity. The easiest method to combat this is to shred your mail. A strip cutting shredder is not sufficient. You most likely will need a cross cutting shredder. You can buy one of these for less than $60. I prefer the shredders made by Champion that have a diamond cutting pattern which make it virtually impossible to reassemble pieces of mail.
2.) You can make a single phone call to a number established by the credit reporting industry to stop credit card, loan, and insurance applications. The number is: 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). All three credit card companies, Experian (formerly TRW), Trans Union, and Equifax will take your name and address off any list that they offer. You will have to provide some personal information and follow directions. Your name should be removed from those lists within about 5 days.
3.) You will need to protect your account number, routing number, signature, and social security number and driver’s license number. Many companies ask for your social security number when you sign up for financing or a loan of some kind. This is required of for them to perform a credit check. Other possible reasons which require social security numbers include: applying for a job, for government programs, filling out taxes. Ask why your social security number is needed and how it will be used. There some instances when companies ask for your social security number, but do not use it for anything other than easier filing. It’s up to you to ask why it is needed and what it is used for. Then you can decide whether or not to give it out.
4.) You should not carry your social security card in your wallet unless you absolutely need to. Your credit card and driver’s license already give identity thieves enough to do some damage.
5.) Other important papers such as your passport or birth certificate should be kept locked up in either a safety deposit box or in a small fireproof safe at home. They should only be removed when necessary and returned immediately after. A safe that is hidden is ideal.
6.) Any letters from your bank should be kept for 7 years. If you do need to dispose of them you should shred them. After you shred any documents you should mix up their remains and place the debris in several different trash bags. So even if you encounter a determined identity thief with access to your trash, they will have little chance of getting all of the correct pieces together.
7.) If you live in an apartment, do not leave out your trash for others to take to the dumpster. This gives identity thieves easy access to trash which can provide a wealth of information about you.
8.) If you get your mail at an apartment complex, shred all the credit card, loan, insurance and other applications that you get in the mail. Some places even have trash receptacles by the mailboxes. Don’t be temped to use them with credit card, insurance, loan, or mortgage applications.
9.) If you live in a house and leave your trash in a trash container by the curb, watch for anyone other than the trash men handling trash around your neighborhood. This is not a crime in most cases, but it is something to pay attention to.
10.) Be on the lookout for people retrieving items from multiple mailboxes who are not US mail carriers. If you suspect someone is stealing mail, get a good look at them and the vehicle they are driving and call the police. This is a crime!
11.) One piece of your identity that many people overlook is your signature. Leave your credit card or ATM card unsigned. Your signature makes it easier for identity thieves to forge checks or other documents such as leases, morgages, deeds, loans, wills etc�.
12.) Your checkbook should be kept safe and away from prying eyes. Used checkbooks should also be kept in a safe. Do not leave out your checkbook or financial documents out even when friends or relatives come over. Do not tempt anyone who is visiting. If a checkbook is lost or stolen, most banks will allow you to put a stop payment on a sequence of checks for a smaller charge than it would be for each check individually.
Following these steps will not prevent all kinds of identity theft, but it will make it more difficult for the thieves.
