How You Can Protect Yourself From Identity Theft With Your Purse

Identity theft may be the fastest growing criminal activity in the 20th Century, replacing illegal drug sales.

How Big is this Problem?

Banks, credit card companies and businesses that house servers storing passwords or other sensitive information all report “break-ins”through Trojan viruses or other on the internet hacking techniques – resulting in the loss of millions of pieces of info. Instances of lost information are employees selling it along with other lax protection measures resulting in thieves having entry for your identity.

Identity Thieves Want

- Your Name
- Date of Birth
- House Address
- Phone Quantities
- Social Security Amount
- Driver’s License Amount
- Charge card Quantities
- CW2 Security Code (the number about the back of the charge card)
- Your Credit score Report
- ATM Charge cards
- Phone Calling Charge cards
- Mortgage Particulars

Exactly where Are They Getting Your Info?

- Banks
- Credit-Reference Companies
- Retailers
- Credit card Networks
- Data-Brokerage Companies
- Payment Processing Companies
- Telephone Companies
- Schools
- Your Employer
- Doctors, Clinics and Wellness Departments
- Government Companies

There are other efficient techniques:

- Dumpster Diving
- Mail Theft
- Retail Theft
- “Phishing”/pretexting/pretending
- Purse/Wallet Theft

What are Thieves Utilizing Your Information For?

- Creating charges for your existing credit score cards
- Opening new credit score cards inside your name
- Getting phone or utilities turned on
- Withdrawing cash from your existing bank accounts
- Employment purposes
- Driver’s Licenses
- Tax Fraud
- Social Support advantages
- Student loans
- Company or Individual loans
- Wellness care
- Home loan loans/leases
- Auto loans
- Utilizing your ID when caught committing a crime

How Can You Guard Yourself?

- Keep a photocopy of your credit charge cards, bank account quantities and investment account quantities inside a safe
place
- Maintain your credit card receipts
- Set a “fraud alert” on all your credit reports
- Should you apply for credit score and also the greeting card doesn’t arrive on time, call the card issuer
- Choose difficult PIN quantities or passwords. (Do not use birth dates, your mother’s maiden name, etc.)
- In no way give personal info to anybody who sends you an email, a letter or calls you asking for it
- Shred individual information
- Do not use the ATM machine if someone is watching you
- Pay attention to what’s going on close to you – cell phones often have cameras in them. If someone is standing by you having a cell phone although you’re entering a PIN amount, block their view
- Review your bills each month. If there’s something you do not remember, call the creditor.
- Check your credit score statement at least as soon as a 12 months
- Store your cancelled checks safely.
- Don’t leave your purse in plain sight when driving
- Keep your valuables locked in the trunk or glove box when driving
- Make all personal info in your computer password protected
- Don’t carry info about your PIN numbers, passwords and account quantities in your purse or wallet

Warning Signs that Your Identity Has been Stolen:

- A loan application is denied, or you’re refused extended credit requests
- You are contacted by a debt-collection agency
- Your purse or wallet may be stolen, or your house broken into
- Unfamiliar activity in your credit score statement

What to complete if it Happens to You:

- If your purse or wallet is stolen, call the police
- Get in touch with your bank, charge card along with other credit extending companies and statement the theft
- Close accounts
- Get in touch with the credit-reporting companies
- Have fraudulent action eliminated instantly and monitor your credit score statement every 90 days for that next 12 months
- Set everything in writing
- File a statement with the Federal Trade Commission
- Change passwords in your existing accounts and create new ones for new accounts

Discover identity theft protection. You will find no guarantees you can keep your information secure, by taking proactive actions to protect yourself, you are able to minimize your chances of having an “identity crisis”.