Top Tips to Avoid Identity Theft
In 2007, there were 8.4 million adult victims of identity fraud in the United States, according to research firm Javelin, resulting in $49.3 billion in losses and many hours of grief for the victims. Even though it seems so easy for criminals to steal your information, you can easily safeguard your ID by changing some habits and putting in a little extra effort. To help you protect yourself, Switched presents ten tips that will keep your money and information safe and, as a bonus, get you less junk mail in the process.
Anything with an account number, signature, social security number or any personal information can be used against you, and since most people throw this stuff in the trash, it's readily available for dumpster-diving thieves. Shredding your bills, ATM and credit card receipts, pay stubs, back statements and anything else with confidential info is a much safer alternative. If the paper shredder you use cuts horizontally and vertically across the paper, that's even better, since it makes taping the paper back together difficult. Likewise, any digital data on hard drives, CDs, or DVDs should also be fully wiped or physically destroyed. On the plus side, shredding is kind of fun.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John C @ Apr 16th 2008 6:59PM
Stop putting your Trojan loading weblinks on these sites. You are a coward.
John connor @ Apr 16th 2008 7:01PM
my Trojan Comment was for Alex with the fake Britent S site, that w3ill load a trojan on your PC using Active X
bighognpin @ Apr 16th 2008 8:01PM
if you catch an identity theif you can hit him over the head with your empty Monavie bottle...http://mymonavie.com/daveandrocio
elsie @ Apr 16th 2008 9:49PM
You warn me not to give out my ss # then you turn around and as me for it in order to opt out of junk mail!!!!!!!!!!!! You take all my time to fill out the thing then won't accept it without my ss #!!!!!!! I am very disappointed.
O. T. @ Apr 17th 2008 3:06AM
The photo for No. 1 is a slicer, NOT a shredder. (You would not expect to see printing with a shredder.)
Jonathan Block @ Apr 17th 2008 11:54AM
The company that I work for helps people find where their personal information is being listed and sold on the internet. I've got a free coupon code if anybody would like to try it out. You can go to www.reputationdefender.com and sign up for the service called "MyPrivacy" and enter in coupon code "JBROCKS" (that's the coupon code they gave me for family and friends). After you're finished signing up, the system will check about 35 open databases and show you what parts of your personal information are being listed out there and help you have it be removed. It finds information like your family members, all of the places you've ever lived, your home and cell phone numbers, and more. Hope this helps someone.
Truth @ Apr 19th 2008 11:00PM
The so-called government has stolen all of our "NAMES" CAPITALIZED!!!! Watch the Jordan Maxwell videos!!!!!
Truth @ Apr 19th 2008 11:04PM
The government has stolen ALL of our "NAMES" CAPITALIZED....into
fictitious corporations!!!!!! Talk about identity theft!!!! Watch the
Jordan Maxwell videos!!!
Ed @ Apr 25th 2008 7:06PM
Please go to this web site: prepaidlegal.com/hub/ejohnson43
This company that I am a Independent Associate with, has the answer
to your Identity Theft problems, also your legal problems that come
from people using your identity in serveral states at once.
kyle akers @ Apr 28th 2008 9:45PM
As broke as i am ....i would rejoice at someone stealing my identity...Theyd kill themselves in a week
Gene @ May 4th 2008 3:42PM
The "Reward/Punishment" approach to people living on the same continent worked when Man stepped out of the cave and it will work now.
If a person goes to jail ( to an Arizona-New Mexico type jail) for a guaranteed 20 years for stealing someone's ID, there will be fewer people
involved in the activity.
The "slap-on-the-wrist" apprach to law enforcement is the reason most crime is committed.
Pat @ May 13th 2008 2:55PM
I agree with all of the above!
Joann @ May 17th 2008 11:55AM
I found this to be really helpful in providing some tips to stop and prevent your self from identity theft. I also got a lot of good information at this place called IgotMyIdentityStolen.com which was useful with tips and updates about identity theft.