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One of the problems which can cause even the most fiscally responsible people years of trouble is identity theft. This problem has been on the rise in North America for years, and is something that we should all be taking as many steps as possible to avoid. Having your information discovered by even one wrong person can be devastating. There are some things you can do to reduce your risk of being a victim.
- Don’t give out your personal information to just anybody. Your SSN (or SIN in Canada) is something that you should keep as private as possible. If a website requires that you enter it, make sure that you know what the information will be used for. If they list it as being optional, do not give it to them. The same applies for telephone conversation as well as real life meetings. If you don’t have to give it out, don’t.
- Watch for phishing. Phishing occurs when somebody sends you an e-mail asking you pretending to be a service you use (for example your bank) asking you to click a link to verify your personal information. NEVER do this. The website is a sham, and they will steal your personal information by doing this. Never click important links through e-mail. Navigate directly to the website if you need to access the service.
- Shred documents with your personal information on it, such as credit card bills. Trash diggers do exist, and you don’t want that information to be available for them to find. Always shred any information which is personal before throwing it in the garbage.
- Take care when entering your PIN and using your credit card. Criminals have started using cell phones to take pictures of credit cards, so try to hide the information on your card. The same advice goes when entering your PIN number: cover the pad with one hand and hold the machine close to your body to reduce the view anybody around you may get.
- Look at your statements closely. Make sure there are no charges you haven’t made, and if there are alert the appropriate bodies immediately. Your bank or credit card’s customer service lines will be most able to help you if they’re aware as fast as possible of strange charges.
While there are a huge number of things you can do to help protect your identity, these are the basics. If you do not do any or all of these things, by all means start doing so now. It could protect you from years, or even a lifetime, of stress and trouble. Protect your identity at all times by all means necessary.
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Sometimes i look at phishing pages and think how can someone fall for this. I recently came to the realization that there are still people who have absolutely no clue about computers recently trying to help my grandmother watch some oprah thing.
Definitely! I’ve had customers at the bank ask me if those emails in their spam box are really from us or not. Just goes to show the lengths people will go to to cheat others.
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