In an increasingly digital world, privacy seems to be getting easier to maintain, right? No more paper bills to shred, no more paper mail that could be tampered with... wrong. The internet is positively the most dangerous place to risk your personal information, and what with Facebook publicizing everything about you, down to your birthday and hometown, your identity is in more danger now than ever. For skilled identity thefts, your full birthday and full name are all that is required to begin snagging bits of your financial information or retrieve personal data about you. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, nearly 12 million people fall victim to identity theft each year, and that value is actually a 13% increase from 2011 statistics!
Your financial information is precious, we know. In order to help you maintain a secure lock on all your personal data we here at Savvy Student have a detailed list of MUSTS for your identity safety. To begin, always air on the side of caution and be aware when dealing with any websites that require your personal data. Many sites are not safe or do not provide secure links and thus tricky identity thieves can easily take advantage of mistakes you might make! Please review the list below and keep in mind that gaining back your identity, if it has already been stolen, is a much, much more difficult, lengthy, and stressful process than following these simple steps to protecting yourself proactively!
1) Password protection: not only should you use passwords to protect your computer, your files, your phone, and all online accounts (if they don't already require you to have a password), but you should also change these passwords frequently! Some websites advise changing passwords for electronic devices every 72 hours, but if you have a weak memory, that might be a bit harsh on the brain. Changing passwords for all accounts and devices should definitely be routine every 3 months, however. Furthermore, your electronic devices and online accounts should have different passwords... having the same password for every account associated with you is a sure way to become an identity theft victim.
2) Check your credit report annually! By visiting www.annualcreditreport.com you will be able to review your credit history for free from the three credit reporting agencies: Transunion, Experien and Equifax These credit reports can include indicators of possible "fishers", or suspicious transactions or hacks onto your account that can be associated with identity thieves.
3) Require Photo ID. On your credit and debit cards, rather than signing the back of the card, you can write "See Photo ID" and the employee completing your transaction is then required to ask to see ID to confirm your identity before they swipe the card. In this way, anyone using your card will be caught committing fraud, and your money will be protected.
4) Destroy all digital and hard data. Shred everything! Paperwork of transactions that have been completed, paper statements dating 10 months previous or earlier, and any documents that you don't need to keep that have personal information (SSN, license #, birthdate, etc) recorded should be destroyed efficiently. Furthermore, if you've kept email confirmations or downloaded online bank statements, if these files are not protected, you should delete them permanently from the harddrive because files that sit on a computer or online account become vulnerable to hacking. Please be advised that IRS tax returns do not fall under this category. If you have filed a return you should hold on to your paperwork for up to seven years, just be sure to keep it in a secure location.
5) Protect your SSN. Your social security number is the key to your identity. If an identity thief gets hold of that information, all other information pertaining to you will be compromised. Do not carry your social security card around in your wallet with you EVER. Also, do not ever record your SSN online when asked or prompted. It is extremely unsafe and unreliable to ever divulge that information.
Following these 5 steps is a sure way to secure and safelock all of your personal information from identity thieves! If you want more information pertaining to identity theft and protecting yourself against vulnerability, check out the links below and do some extra research! Remember, it's your identity, and your security.
http://gpluspro.hubpages.com/hub/Identity-Theft-Statistics-2012
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/newsandeditorial1/a/aaidenttheft_2.htm
Your financial information is precious, we know. In order to help you maintain a secure lock on all your personal data we here at Savvy Student have a detailed list of MUSTS for your identity safety. To begin, always air on the side of caution and be aware when dealing with any websites that require your personal data. Many sites are not safe or do not provide secure links and thus tricky identity thieves can easily take advantage of mistakes you might make! Please review the list below and keep in mind that gaining back your identity, if it has already been stolen, is a much, much more difficult, lengthy, and stressful process than following these simple steps to protecting yourself proactively!
1) Password protection: not only should you use passwords to protect your computer, your files, your phone, and all online accounts (if they don't already require you to have a password), but you should also change these passwords frequently! Some websites advise changing passwords for electronic devices every 72 hours, but if you have a weak memory, that might be a bit harsh on the brain. Changing passwords for all accounts and devices should definitely be routine every 3 months, however. Furthermore, your electronic devices and online accounts should have different passwords... having the same password for every account associated with you is a sure way to become an identity theft victim.
2) Check your credit report annually! By visiting www.annualcreditreport.com you will be able to review your credit history for free from the three credit reporting agencies: Transunion, Experien and Equifax These credit reports can include indicators of possible "fishers", or suspicious transactions or hacks onto your account that can be associated with identity thieves.
3) Require Photo ID. On your credit and debit cards, rather than signing the back of the card, you can write "See Photo ID" and the employee completing your transaction is then required to ask to see ID to confirm your identity before they swipe the card. In this way, anyone using your card will be caught committing fraud, and your money will be protected.
4) Destroy all digital and hard data. Shred everything! Paperwork of transactions that have been completed, paper statements dating 10 months previous or earlier, and any documents that you don't need to keep that have personal information (SSN, license #, birthdate, etc) recorded should be destroyed efficiently. Furthermore, if you've kept email confirmations or downloaded online bank statements, if these files are not protected, you should delete them permanently from the harddrive because files that sit on a computer or online account become vulnerable to hacking. Please be advised that IRS tax returns do not fall under this category. If you have filed a return you should hold on to your paperwork for up to seven years, just be sure to keep it in a secure location.
5) Protect your SSN. Your social security number is the key to your identity. If an identity thief gets hold of that information, all other information pertaining to you will be compromised. Do not carry your social security card around in your wallet with you EVER. Also, do not ever record your SSN online when asked or prompted. It is extremely unsafe and unreliable to ever divulge that information.
Following these 5 steps is a sure way to secure and safelock all of your personal information from identity thieves! If you want more information pertaining to identity theft and protecting yourself against vulnerability, check out the links below and do some extra research! Remember, it's your identity, and your security.
http://gpluspro.hubpages.com/hub/Identity-Theft-Statistics-2012
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/newsandeditorial1/a/aaidenttheft_2.htm
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