Avoiding Identity Theft - Some Practical Tips

Each year, obtain a copy of your free credit report. The changes to the Fair Credit Reporting Act now requires each major national consumer reporting bureau to provide this information to you upon your request once each twelve months.

Should a credit application, insurance or employment be rejected because of credit problems, you are entitled to another free report provided you request the report within 60 days of the denial. At any other time, you can purchase a copy of your credit report from the three major credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.

If you choose to obtain a copy of your credit report, request that the printout contain only the last four digits of your social security number so that no one else can obtain that crucial number should they pick up the report.

Password your credit card, bank and telephone accounts with information that is not easily linked to you. Your mother's maiden name is not a good choice; neither is your birthday, telephone number or consecutive numbers or letters. If you open a new bank account, ask them to allow you to use a password instead of your mother's maiden name.

At home, keep all of your personal papers securely stored. These should be kept inside a lock area such as a file cabinet or safe. Even someone you employ in your home may not be the honest person you think they are.

Keep personal information at your workplace just as secure as at home. Ask your employer what measures are taken to ensure your personal information is safe and secure. Ask the same question at your bank, businesses that have access to your personal information, doctor's offices and anywhere your personal information is known. Disposal processes are especially important because much identity theft is accomplished by simply digging through the trash.

When using the telephone, postal service or the Internet, be certain that you both initiate the contact and know exactly who you are speaking or communicating with, before giving out ANY personal information. Thieves have myriad means of getting you to give them the information they need.

When disposing of old paperwork or mail, be cautious. Home shredder equipment has become quite inexpensive and can help protect you from someone going through your trash and finding personal information.

When mailing anything that contains personal information that could be used as part of an identity theft scheme, take the mail to a postal mail box or to the post office if your home mailbox is not a locked and secured box. Memorize your social security number and do not carry your card with you. Give the number out only when it is needed for a very valid reason. Don't allow the DMV to use your social security number as your drivers license number.

When Frank Abagnale trains law enforcement officers for the FBI's National Academy about identity theft, he asks agents for their addresses and nothing more. The next day, he returns with everything he would need to steal their lives: Social Security numbers, dates of birth, current salary, checking account numbers, the names of everyone in their family, and more. This illustrates how easy it is for anyone from anywhere in the world to assume our identity and, in a matter of hours, devastate our lives in ways that can take years to recover from. Considering the fact that a fresh victim is hit in the U.S. every four seconds, Stealing Your Life is the reference everyone needs, by an unsurpassed authority on the latest identity-theft schemes.

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