There are no easy solutions in the war against identity theft. Victims are innocent people like you who have just bought something over the internet with a credit card, or who may have forgotten to shred up a bank statement. We are all potential victims for the crime. Chances are, you know someone who has not taken the proper steps in protecting themselves against identity theft. Don’t let that someone be you.
The mail comes every week day and seems innocent enough, a function of life. While most of the mail that you receive is from companies that you’ve dealt with for years, not all mail that you receive is on the up and up. You might get bills or invitations to participate in offers based on your hard-won credit rating. Thieves also target financially stable individuals with offers that look official but are really just an attempt to obtain your personal details.
The best way to minimize this danger and prevent identity theft from happening to you is to keep a close eye on the routine times your bills are mailed, as well as minimize the amount of information you receive in the mail. However, knowledge of the kinds of information that come from the postal worker is the best weapon against Identity Theft.
Telephone and other utility bills always display customer addresses, account numbers, and telephone numbers. All this information can be useful to an identity thief, as can the information stolen from a driver’s license renewal or monthly credit card statement. Remember one of the best rules to prevent identity theft: what you throw away can hurt you.
The savvy consumer can also prevent identity theft by keeping a watchful eye on bank statements that come through the mail. These often include your name, address, bank name, contact information, account number and even type of account.
All this information is dangerous in the wrong hands. Pre-approved credit card offers also give would-be thieves the upper hand, and paycheck stubs from direct deposits give away your employer’s name and address as well. Sometimes, even your pay rate and social security number will be included on the stub. Rather than crumple these documents and throw them away, invest in a shredder to fight against identity theft.
“Dumpster Diving” is a common practice of thieves collecting information. This requires them to scrounge through your last night’s leftovers in the garbage in hopes to find that one golden nugget: your bank statement, your credit care receipts, or anything that has anything personal about you.
Thieves root through garbage to get the information they want — and their habits have been nicknamed “Dumpster Diving” by those trying to prevent identity theft. Make sure that when you throw out your trash, all people can find in your garbage are scraps of food — and not your personal information.