Identity theft is when your personal details like your name, date of birth, address (present and past), and other personal information are stolen from you. When such information is stolen, it can have a huge impact on your finances and may prevent you from securing a loan, a mortgage, credit cards, and more. Of course, there’s no perfect way to safeguard all of your information, but there are some things that you can do to help prevent others from stealing your personal information.

How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

There are lots of different ways that criminals can find your personal information. For example, they may rummage through your garbage for documents that give them your information; they may pretend to be an organization and call you on the phone to “verify” information; they may hack into your computer system and steal your information that way. To stop such potential theft, you might want to try some of these methods:

Shred Or Destroy

Shred or destroy personal documents or items that have your name, address, financial details, medical information (empty prescription bottles), and other essential information about you. Peel the labels off your prescription bottles, and shred other documents to ensure that no one can get these details.

Don’t Reveal Passwords

Don’t tell anyone your passwords, three or four-digit codes for your accounts, or those used to enter your building, etc. Keep your passwords and passcodes private. A bank will never ask you for your PIN code. Likewise, don’t give out your social security numbers or passwords to anyone for any reason. Whatever you are doing online make sure that it is safe. Especially when dealing with money, payments online gaming, why not try this? 먹튀검증사이트

Double and triple-check your banking statements to ensure you’re not being charged for charges you didn’t charge to your account. If you find fraudulent charges, call your bank or financial institution immediately and notify them that you didn’t make those charges.

Securely Store Sensitive Information

Don’t leave documents such as mail or personal information where anyone else can see it. Instead, store it in a secure place. Please keep it in a drawer or safe to ensure visitors won’t accidentally (or purposefully) see it.

Cancel Lost Or Stolen Debit And Credit Cards Immediately

If you find a card missing, cancel it to stop it from being used by anyone other than yourself. Keep a list of emergency numbers on hand for such a situation so you can call the correct department of your credit cards and bank.

Memorize

Memorize your passwords and passcodes to help prevent online identity theft. Never use identical passwords for multiple accounts; that way, you won’t lose all of your funds if one account is hacked.

Forward

If you move, forward your mail immediately to prevent new owners or tenants from gaining your private information.

What To Do If You’re A Victim Of Identity Theft

If you have been the victim of identity theft, act immediately. The sooner you act, the sooner you can save your personal information from being stolen further. If you don’t work, the situation can become much worse. You should never ignore the problem even if you know you didn’t buy something you’re being charged for. Call the appropriate companies immediately and notify them. Accounts opened in your name, even if you didn’t open them, can cause many problems.

Notify your bank, credit card companies, and police department (you’ll want the report number on the police report you file). Keep an eye on your accounts and credit report to prevent further damage.