Identity Theft – 6 Easy Steps To Reduce Risk Of Identity Theft

It’s next to impossible to avoid the theft of your identity, however, there are six easy steps you can take to reduce your risk. Listed here are the 6:

1) Look at your driving report:

Insurance companies go over your driving record from time to time, and so should you. You want to make sure that your record doesn’t have any dings that you don’t know about. If there are some dings on your report that your not famaliar with, it could mean that someone is using your drivers license information. This is a sign that your identity has been compromised.

2) Delete, delete, delete…all personal information from any computer that you plan to discard. Take out the hard drive from the computer that you are going to discard, and take a hammer to it.

3) You can use a “wipe” program or drill a few holes in your hard drive.

Your checks pass through many channels and are seen by many people. Limit what’s on the front of your checks, use your initials for your first name, and NEVER, NEVER, put your social security number on your checks, even if you are requested to do so.

4) Protect Your Mailbox:

Because of the personal information contained in your mailbox, it is a high priority target for identity thieves. A new mailbox with a lock these days is a must.

5) Watch What You Put In Your Trash Can Or Bin.

Get a shredder and use it on your junk mail, or anything that has personal information on it beforing throwing it away. Your trash is a favorite target of identity theives.

6) Invest In an Identity Theft Protection Program:

You can, for a low monthly fee purchase an Identity Theft Protection Plan. There are several out there such as lifelock and Identity Theft Shield from Prepaid Legal. Some programs like Identity Theft Shield will even help restore your credit and name if you become a victim, along with monitoring your credit file.

Take action on the tips mentioned here.

These are simple steps you should take to help avoid identity theft.

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