11 Precautions to prevent identity theft..

Listed below are the 11 precautions you need to take to prevent identity threat.

1. You social security number (SSN) is a critical piece of personal information, do NOT print it on any form of personal identification. If the number is required on a check, write it on the back of the check rather than printing it.

2. Reduce the amount of unsolicited offers you receive in your mailbox. Opt out of pre-approved credit card offers.

3. If you are planning to take a long vacation, remember to cancel mail delivery. If you don’t, that heap of mail makes a mouth watering target.

4. Shred all old bank and credit statements and “junk mail” credit card offers before trashing them. Some mails including bank statements, credit card offers, ATM receipts, credit statements/receipts and utility bills, all contain personal information. Make sure that such critical information does not land up in the wrong hands.

5. Beef up your computers security. Install a firewall and antivirus. Password protect your laptop and change the password frequently. Do the same with your online email accounts.

6. Keep helpline numbers of your credit card company handy so that even if your credit card is stolen, you can call the authorities and freeze your account.

7. Photocopy all the contents of your wallet. Copy both sides of your license and credit cards so you have all the account numbers, expiration dates and phone numbers if your wallet or purse is stolen.

8. Do not give your personal information on the phone. Some high pressure callers might demand personal information in lieu of “great offers”, beware of such calls. Ask them if you can join their do-not-call list. If you still receive their calls, don’t answer them.

9. Go through the credit card statement before sending out the checks. Contact your creditors immediately if you note suspicious activity.

10. Do not carry extra credit cards or other important identity documents except when needed. Also cancel unused credit card accounts.

11.  If you purchase a domain name on the internet, do not allow your name and address to be published in the whois databases, to prevent this, register your domain through a company like Gossimer where the provide free whois privacy protection to all of their customers.

Recent hacking of corporate databases have shown that no one is immune to identity theft, but if we take the necessary precautions, we can minimize the odds of getting victimized.