If you have been keeping up with trends, you probably realize that identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes of this century. Contrary to popular belief, the primary cause of it is not because more people are online since the crime of identity theft is not limited to online transactions or online banking. But it is caused by people not paying attention to the contents of sensitive information that they receive, online or offline, and not guarding that information with the care that it deserves.
Would you throw your banking account numbers with password and security codes into a trash can without shredding them first? Dumpster diving to retrieve information just like this has been a popular pastime for many thieves, and many of them are being rewarded for their efforts by being able to get enough private information about you to where they can open new accounts and get new credit cards in your name, but have the actual cards sent to a fake address somewhere. The first time you become aware of it is when a bank you have never heard of calls you and asks when you are going to start making payments on an overdue credit card account that is charged to the hilt, and you did not even know it existed!
It is even worse if you do things online. That is not to say that you should not do things online or shop online, but at the same time, you need to be smart about how you do things so that you do not leave yourself wide open as a potential target for these identity theft thieves. Most of this is just common sense if you think about it, but we should look at some of these things so that you can think twice about the next time you see it.
Never open an email attachment from someone you do not know. It may say it is from your late Uncle Fred about the money he left you in his will, it may claim to be from the IRS, or it may even claim to be from your Internet service provider or your bank. Do not open it. Even if you have the latest anti virus software, sometimes things can get past that software.
Never click on a link in an email from someone you do not know. The email could claim to be from the phone company or your bank or your stock broker or whatever, but never click on a link, which will typically ask you to verify your account information. They would never ask you to verify your account information this way. If you are wondering about it, call them on the phone and ask, but never click that link.
You know all that mail you get (not email, but regular postal mail) that contains those pre-approved credit card offers? What do you do with them? Do you just throw them in the trash? Those offers frequently have more than enough information to where someone who is dumpster diving can get that pre-approved card that was offered to you. Go to your nearest office supply store like Best Buy or Office Depot and get yourself a shredder, then shred those documents before you throw them away to avoid this type of situation.
Identity theft is not a pleasant experience, and if you do not check your credit report every now and then, it could be several months before you realize anything is amiss, at which point the thief is long gone. The best offense is a great defense, and that old saying applies to protecting your information against identity theft as much as anything else. By Jona