You can’t throw a stone in a crowd without hitting someone who has been the victim of identity theft that resulted in having to close accounts and file for fraud to recover funds. If you’re lucky, these criminals try to make such a large or out-of-character purchase (buying a truck in Japan, for example) that your bank calls to confirm with you. Then you can cancel the account, move your funds, and start over with little or no harm done. But most of these money-stealing hackers are smarter than that. They make several small purchases online for products they can re-sell for cash, have them shipped overnight to an address that is not their own, then grab the package off the porch and disappear, leaving no trace of who they are and a deficit in your bank accounts. But luckily, there are plenty of ways to protect yourself from prying eyes. Here are just a few.
- Shred documents. Any papers that contain your account information (unused checks or carbon copies, bank statements, receipts, and so on) should be shredded so that a random person sifting through your trash can’t come up with your account number or other pertinent information. And always look at the receipt you sign in a store. If it features your full card number, make sure to scribble out all but the last four numbers (for vendor use).
- Avoid unsecured sites. Shopping online is certainly easier than going to the store, but even in this day and age there are online retailers that don’t encrypt your personal information or offer any type of security against hackers. So if you don’t see the padlock icon somewhere on your browser when you’re about to enter sensitive information, skip the purchase and look for it somewhere else.
- Vary passwords. One extremely common mistake that people make is putting the same user I.D. and password on every one of their online accounts. If hackers get into even one, they will quickly gain access to all of them. So make sure that you use a variety of user names and passwords and keep a list hidden somewhere in your home (for your own reference). And for goodness sake, don’t show it to anyone! Note: you should also use difficult passwords for bank, credit card, and other sensitive accounts.
- Use a dedicated email. You should have at least two email accounts (if not more). One should be devoted to business transactions (for which your bank and credit card usage would qualify) while the other is meant to field throw-aways like signing up for online clubs, freebies, forums, and other non-essential services. Of course, you might want a third account for general communication with friends, family, and colleagues.
- Be diligent. Most of us don’t know something is wrong with an account until we get a bank statement (which some people don’t even glance at) or we go to use a debit card and get denied. But if you want to put an immediate halt to the damage caused by those who steal your account information, you need to be on top of it. Make a habit of checking your balance and transactions on a weekly or even daily basis. Then you’ll know right away if something has gone amiss with your accounts.
Leon Davidson writes for Asset Tags for Equipment where you can find custom security labels and stickers.
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