Everyday more and more people are becoming a victim of identity theft. It has become a plague of the modern society. As our technology improves, the ways and means they get your personal information are becoming more high tech.
Identity theft is a crime, it occurs when someone steals another person's identity in the form of personal information. The information that they gather from you is used for fraudulent purposes that are usually for their financial gains.
Anybody who becomes their victim is usually left with debts that take years to rectify. For some they steal others' identity so that they can use it to create terror and criminal acts.
Here are some ways to prevent identity theft fast.
#1 Banking:
When using the ATM machines, make sure that no one is standing right behind you. If there is a person at your back politely, ask them to move backwards. Nobody knows if the person standing behind you might be taking your bank details and password. Never leave the receipt behind because these contain details of your bank transaction.
Get your checkbooks personally instead of asking the bank to mail them to you. By personally getting your checkbook in the bank, you prevent identity theft from happening to you.
When travelling use travellers check, and have enough money so that you avoid frequent trips to the ATM machine while in another place.
Carefully check your bank statements and bills for any discrepancies or unusual bank transaction. If you find that, there is an erroneous entry call the bank and check who is doing that transaction.
#2 Shopping:
The shopping malls are a public place and it is one of the best places to steal someone else's personal identity. When paying at the check out counter, be mindful of the person behind you.
Only hand out your card to the cashier and never parade your cards in front of anyone or lay it down the counter. Remember this thieve are experts so it will not take them long to get the information from you.
Keep transaction receipts inside the bag or in your handbag. Shopping receipts contains a lot of information especially if you paid your purchases in credit card, so it is advisable to keep these receipts safe away from the public's eye.
When shopping online, only deal with reputable shopping sites. Carefully read the rules and regulation and give importance on the portion where it says about customer's protection and confidentiality.
If you are fond of shopping online banks nowadays have temporary credit cards that you can use for online shopping this card are linked to your account in the bank and this temporary credit cards are for one time use only.
#3 At home or the office:
Let's face it, these criminals do not need to break into your houses to get the information they need. They can get the information they want just by rummaging from your trash. In order to prevent identity theft, shred important document that you usually discard off, like statement of accounts, bill statements, credit card billing, and other important document.
Invest in a portable shredding machine this will be able to save you from future headaches and pain.
Do not answer callers who ask for your personal information. Chances are, these are people who look for gullible people to victimize.
Never keep a record of your password, PIN numbers, account numbers and other important document in your computer. You are risking yourself of being a victim of spyware and phishing.
These are both high tech ways of getting the information the criminal needs without you suspecting anything. Therefore, when all of the sudden there is an email asking for you to sign up a form or that you won a lottery of some sort but in order for you to claim the prize you have to sign some form, stop it is a scam.
It is important to keep in mind that to prevent identity theft from happening, is that you should be the first one to take the steps in taking care of your personal belongings and information.
Eddy Kong is an ex-identity theft victim who discovered a 10 simple ways to prevent identity theft. Also, he created a honest review site on various prevent identity theft products. Look at his expert review blog now for more findings
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Simmons
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