Ways To Prevent Identity Theft

Just what is identity theft and how can you protect yourself against it?

In a nutshell, identity theft happens when someone uses your social security number, your credit card details, your driving license number, an old electricity bill or any other form of "identity" without your knowledge.

Some ways of identity theft are preventable. Others, such as when your bank or the government leave your data in public view, are near enough beyond your control.

We're going to concentrate on ways you can protect your identity as much as possible.

1. Shred sensitive data before putting it into the trash
This means anything with your personal information on it. Old credit card and bank statements; electricity, gas, water and phone bills; invitations to take out new credit cards. Absolutely anything with your name and address on it. Shredders are readily available and will make it much more difficult for a potential thief to steal your identity.

2. Keep your anti virus and spyware software up to date
Unscrupulous hackers can get into your computer and steal it without you knowing. Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date by selecting the "auto update" option if you haven't already done so. And - since anti virus software unhelpfully doesn't include it - make sure you have a spyware detection program on your computer and run it regularly.

3. Keep your wireless broadband secure
Although it's not likely that a potential identity thief will actually sit in front of your computer and install software, there are other ways. If you leave your wireless internet connection unprotected, they could easily track what you're doing online and even use a key logger program to read your passwords.

4. Keep your social security number safe
It's key to so many things! Store your card safely (and check it's still where you stored it on a regular basis). And shred anything that has your social security number on it.

5. Protect your credit card PIN number
So many transactions nowadays only need your PIN number rather than a signature. Make sure no-one is able to see you typing in your PIN. Be careful if a stranger is nearby with their camera-enabled cell phone.

6. Check the padlock appears in your browser for online transactions
There should be a small padlock appear in Internet Explorer and Firefox when you're giving sensitive data on the internet. This is your assurance that your credit card data is being handled securely.

7. Be cautious about giving out other personal information
Things like your mother's maiden name, the schools you went to, your date of birth and the town you were born in. These are all used as identity confirmation. So don't go posting them all over your Facebook profile!