PROTECT YOUR CREDIT - AVOID IDENTITY THEFT
Avoid Identity Theft
There are a lot of misconceptions on how your identity can be stolen. Here are some basic tips on how to protect it.
- Buy a shredder
- Monitor your credit report annually www.annualcreditreport.com It's free. I always check my credit when I file my taxes.
- Secure your mail. have it delivered to and mailed from the post office or a secured mail box. If your mail sits in a mailbox at the end of your driveway all day while you are at work, it can fall in the wrong hands
- Go green - get paperless statements for bank documents, credit card statements, etc.
- Electronic keypad signatures - add the date to the end of your signature
- Never list your social security number and never carry it with you
- Destroy all statements and solicitations by shredding and not just throwing away
- Don't leave paper trails; take all gas and ATM receipts with you
- Always review your statements - make sure all of the charges are yours.
- Know who you are dealing with and don't give out personal information over the phone and be very careful on the internet
- Know your statemment arrival dates so that if your bills aren't there you can call the company. Better yet, go green and be paperless
- Remove bar codes from magazines and shred them.
- Keep your medical insurance cards safe. Medical ID theft is the newest wave of identity theft.
- If you pay your bills by check, put your work phone and address on your checks and not your personal information
- Shred your hotel keys after use. Don't leave in the hotel or throw out
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