The kind of crime in which people use your personal information without your consent. This specifically includes the financial benefits and concern of duplicate credit cards in your name. This could cause some serious trouble for you and for your honour. The identity theft is the most emerging issue in the world as 7+ million people in the USA were victims of this fraud for the year 2014 (latest statistics available). A slight carelessness can put you in financial difficulties aching your status.
There are different types of identity theft, some of them are listed here below for your better understating.
• Child ID theft
• Tax ID theft
• Medical Id theft
• Senior ID theft
• Social Id theft
Peoples use many methods to protect their privacy. For you, we have also gathered the most trusted and reliable information to prevent identity theft here specifically in this blog.
Prevent from ID Theft
To prevent identity theft below are the key points that one must consider to prevent individuality burglary.
• Keep your SSN – Social Security Numbers secret. Do not carry your card with you all the time. Besides it, don’t write SSN on the bills.
• Do not respond to any calls authorized calls received requiring your personal information (card number, SSN, DOB etc.)
• Hold on your posts when you go out for a few days.
• Keep in mind the dated for your billing invoices and financial statements. Immediately contact the providing authorities if they are delay than usual.
• Update firewall and other security setting when you use public Wi-Fi, it’s a better approach to use VPN as it will add a new security layer
• Keep mobile security up-to-date if you have integrated mobile banking application
• Deeply compare your bank statement and invoice to sort out the extra expense virtually billed to you
• Safely dispose of your receipts using a cross-cut paper shredder for home, the stripe cut paper shredder provides less security level for confidential documents.
• Set complex password for your accounts and use updated virus protection in your computer system
If you notice any unusual activity with your card and any other symptom regarding frauds directly contact your service provider and freeze your credit card.
Worthy use of Paper shredder
Using a paper shredder is a worthy approach to dispose of your receipts and other confidential documents. The latest technology paper shredders are able to shreds your credit cards, tax invoices, junk mails and many other things. They can also shred the CDs and DVDs. Using a best price paper shredder is the ideal way to remove information from media and shred papers in a way so they can’t be reassembled again. These machines can be easily purchased from amazon.com with door to door free delivery and longer time warranty periods.
Limit the information you share publicly
Keep a check on the information you make available publicly such as your bio on public profiles and the stuff you share. It is not wise that others can see your date of birth, personal phone numbers, mailing address and others. Unrecognised links are spam, people use this to get access to you. Do not click them if you did not recognise them.
Keep you self alert
No matter how much attention you pay to prevent but sometimes there comes a situation when things go against you. For example, the shopkeeper takes picture of your card with a smartphone. In that case contact 1 of the top 3 best credit agencies for intimation of a fraud alert. The contact information of these companies is listed here below:
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
Equifax: 1-888-766-0008
Conclusion
Considering all the above information it is quite clear that we must pay great attention to our belongings to prevent any kind of information abuse. For this sometimes we have to use some tool and for me, the best paper shredder is the right thing. It is wise to put a small investment in these quality machines. They will not disappoint your ever. Ending with the words, keep save your identity with the latest methods and greater attention.