When I was in the workforce, the office I worked in was getting a facelift. We had construction crews in and out all day for several days. One day at lunch, I went to grab my purse from my file cabinet and it was gone. My stomach dropped because I knew the trouble I was about to experience. Little did I know how invasive that incident would be in my life. It took me almost 2 years to completely clear up my credit. In order to protect yourself from identity theft, here are five tips to keep that information safe:
Five Tips to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
- Create Strong Passwords: Make your passwords as long as possible and make it something no one would guess. Also change them frequently. Use special characters.
- Protect Your Mobile Device: You would not believe how easy it is for someone to look over your shoulder and see your sensitive information on your mobile device. Keep it close to your person at all times. Password protect it.
- Be Careful What You Share: You can overshare your personal information, so make sure you only give it to a reputable company you can trust.
- Check Your Credit Report: You get a free credit report once a year, so be sure to check it at least that often. If there is any suspicious activity, you should report that immediately.
- Keep Sensitive Documents and Information Secure: If you can put your personal and financial documents in a safe place that is the best bet. If not, keep them all in one place and hidden from prying eyes. For your ultimate protection, using a service like LifeLock will give you the highest level of security and protection.
Currently, LifeLock is bringing awareness to the public about the dangers of identity theft with their March Breach Campaign. Did you know the recent Anthem security breach could affect as many as 80 million customers? The Anthem companies includes Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; Anthem Blue Cross; Empire BlueCross BlueShield; Anthem Life Insurance; Affiliated / Specialty Companies. A data breach happens when your confidential information, like your Social Security or credit card number or health information is exposed or accessed by an unauthorized person. The new LifeLock Ultimate Plus program can offer several new activity alerts to give you peace of mind against identity fraud in the digital world.
When you are looking for evidence your Social Security number has been misused, it can take days or weeks before you realize it. By the time you are aware, the perpetrator has already accessed and used your confidential personal and financial information. With LifeLock, you can be alerted quite quickly, often before the criminal has had the chance to use your information for his benefit. You can find out more about data breaches on the LifeLock website.
Debi says
I never used to care about if my identity was stolen. I was so naive. Now I try very hard to take care.
Tonya C says
Thanks for this list. I would be terrified if I lost my purse and my personal identity was in jeopardy.
Censie says
Very important to be careful of your identity. Great tips.
Taralyn says
I hear the commercial for Lifelock all the time. Definitely a needed service!
Crystal says
These are great tips, and useful reminders. I need to do a few of these.
Melissa Vera says
Wow I am so sorry you had to learn the hard way about identity theft but so thankful that you shared your tips with us.
Jess W. says
Identity theft is so scary. You can be robbed blind and not even know it. Great tips.
Julie Wood says
I make sure to have strong passwords and all my sensitive documents stored in a safe place. It is not a good idea to let important documents lying around. I also never use my laptop in a hot spot because my information can get stolen! Thanks for all the tips-they are helpful to me.
sandy weinstein says
well let’s see, i was in the home depot, target, blue cross blue shield, and a few others that had security breaches, now my credit card….what a mess. my credit card co. cant get it worked out, i have been sent over 5 cards since 2-16 and they cant get any to work. then on top of that fedex delivered it, left it in my mailbox once, then tied to the mailbox post, which someone took and moved to 3 houses down…i have spent over 20 hrs in the past 3 wks, trying to get a credit card that works…i was on the phone today for over 6 hrs w/ both the cc co and fedex…i have contacted the ceo office of both co. and guess what, still go the run around, not my fault, sorry, nothing we can do….the cc co did not even contact me…i am pissed to say the least.
Carol Bryant says
I always get concerned about this – ty for the tips
Brittany @ Clumps of Mascara says
My friend’s home was broken into a couple of days ago…all that was taken were SS cards, Passports, Bank info etc. We have to be so diligent to protect ourselves these days. Great post!
Brett says
Oh my gosh how scary for them!
Ashley@irishred02 says
this is such an important topic. We went through a created stronger passwords awhile ago and I always stress people to safeguard their phones!
Mama to 5 BLessings says
This happened to my husband. It is super scary! Thank you for sharing and educationing people!
Liz Mays says
I worry about this stuff a lot. Every time a change my password I remind my kids to do so too.
Lorane says
Be sensitive with what you share! My generation love to “overshare” . These are awesome tips that must be carefully used for best results
Milena says
This is something that is always on my mind. Thanks for the info on Lifelock!
Kelly says
This hits close to home because I have been a victim of identity theft. It took me years to get everything back on track. This is a great tool to use for protection.
Debbie Denny says
Good points. Always take care what you share online.
maria @ close to home says
We all got the letters from BC/BS about the breach. It is really scary to think what we would lose.
becca says
These are great tips. I have had my credit card stolen three times in over a year.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
These are awesome tips. I am so paranoid about this happening to me.