Special offer

8 easy tips to avoid Identify Theft

By
Real Estate Agent with ERA Herman Group Real Estate

1 in 10 will be the victim of ID theft this year

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in Colorado and in the US.

Protecting and maintaining good credit score is one of the first steps involved in buying a home in Colorado.

 Must Read Posts:

Here's my 8 easy tips to avoid identity theft

  1. Mail:   Have it delivered to/from the post office.  Don't have mail delivered to your home mailbox; especially if your mailbox is unsecuredCredit Cards.
  2. Social Security number:  Never carry your social security card with you.  Be very cautious about giving it out.
  3. Receipts:  Take all your ATM and gas receipts with you.   Don't leave them at the gas station or at the ATM machine.  Even though many of the gas receipts only have 4 digits of your credit cards, theft experts can still figure out your credit card number.
  4. Statements and credit card solicitations:   Don't just throw them away, shred them before putting them in your trash can.
  5. Bar codes:  Remove the bar codes from magazine and shred them.  Again, you would be surprised on what time of information about your identify can be gleaned from these bar codes.
  6. Credit report:   Monitor your report on an annual basis at www.annualcreditreport.com,   The sooner your catch errors, the easier it is to get them removed.
  7. Electronic Keypad signatures:  Put the date at the end of your signature when you are signing on an Electronic keypad. (This is an easy thing you can do that will keep your signature from being stolen and used again.)
  8. Destroy Digital data:  When you sell a computer system, a hard drive, or a recordable CD, DVD or backup tape, take extra steps to ensure the data is completely destroyed.   Simply deleting the data or reformatting the hard drive is nowhere near enough. Anyone with a little skill can undelete files or recover data from a formatted drive.   You can use a product called like ShredXP to make sure that data on hard drives is completely destroyed.    For CDs and DVDs, physical break or shatter them.

For even more information, visit the FTC's web site about Identify Theft

Remember, Knowledge is Power

 

Colorado Springs Real Estate Agent, An Expert You Can Trust

Selling Real Estate in the Colorado Springs area, including Monument,  Fountain, Larkspur, Pueblo, Castle Rock, Manitou Springs, Woodland Park, Palmer Lake

  www.ColoradoSpringsVintageHomes.com, www.KathyTorline.com

Comments (5)

Lori Cain
Own Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Midtown Tulsa Real Estate Top Producer

Wow - dating the electronic signature is a great idea - and easy to do/remember!

Feb 23, 2010 12:29 AM
Tricia Pearson
Tricia Pearson - Pearson Real Estate - Texas Hill Country - Boerne, TX
Real Estate Broker, San Antonio/Hill Country Homes for Sale

Great info Kathy.  I didn't know about the date and the electronic signatures, I'll start doing that.

Feb 23, 2010 12:31 AM
Michael Delaware
North Sky Realty LLC - Battle Creek, MI
REALTORĀ®, CRS, GRI

This is a very good post!  I hear so much about identity theft, but it is goo to see a concise list of common sense tips to protect yourself. 

Feb 23, 2010 12:33 AM
Marianne Snygg
ERA Herman Group Real Estate - Monument, CO
ABR, ASP, GRI, SFR

I didn't know that about the electronic signatures. I'll have to start doing that one. Here's another tip: Don't return your electronic hotel key. It's got ALL your information on it. My sister works for a hotel chain, and this was her suggestion to me. Amazing what folks can do to one another.

Feb 23, 2010 04:36 AM
Irina Riley
American Dream Colorado - Woodland Park, CO
GRI, SFR, CNE, e-PRO, SRES

Kathy, very valuable information! I also would add that www.lifelock.com is a very good pro-active tool for everyone. It cost only $9.00 a month, but it gives you piece of mind. Because, you still give the personal information to the doctors, school etc.

Feb 28, 2010 12:46 PM