How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
Identity theft is one of the largest complaints reported by Americans. The Consumer Sentinel Network received identity theft as its number one complaint in 2014, with states such as Georgia, Florida, Oregon, and Missouri experiencing the most cases. Although identity theft can occur from the theft of your physical credit card, did you know that thieves might also be picking up your personal information from your computer?
If your computer isn’t properly secured, a hacker can get into your PC in a matter of minutes. Unbeknownst to many internet users, it’s not uncommon to leave a trail of your personal information behind every time you use the internet. As you can imagine, that trail makes it very easy for anyone looking to steal your identity.
Preventing identity theft isn’t hard to do, as long as you know what steps to take. To help you prevent anything like this from occurring, here are few tips as to how you can protect yourself from identity theft, offline or on the net.
Monitor Your Bank Statements
This is a practice that you should already be doing, but to prevent identity theft, it’s best to check your bank statements more often. Online banking is a great place to do that, as you can check your transactions easily and whenever you want. This allows you to monitor it on a weekly basis, rather than just monthly when you receive your paper statement.
If online banking isn’t something you’re interested in, you could always request a print-out from your local bank. By monitoring your bank statements, you’ll be able to notice whether or not someone other than yourself is using your bank account. The sooner you catch on to their actions, the better chance you have of saving yourself from a hefty loss.
Of course if you do happen to see a transaction that seems suspicious, contact your bank as soon as possible. They will be able to lock your card for you if your information has been stolen. It would also be a good idea to monitor your credit report as well.
Consider Purchasing a Paper Shredder
It’s not totally unwise to keep all of your bank statements, but it can be a little unrealistic. Because your statements contain your financial information, it’s best to shred them before you dispose of them. You can find paper shredders for under $100, and they can be a worthwhile investment given the cost of identity theft.
Besides bank statements, you should really shred any document that contains your personal information before disposing of them. A paper shredder can also come in handy when you have old credit cards that you no longer need.
Install Security Software on Your Gadgets
Any device that connects to the internet should be protected with security software. You don’t often realize how much information you’re leaving on your computer, smartphone, or tablet, even when you’re not saving anything as a file. Websites pick up on your location and IP address every time you visit them for example.
Besides that, not everyone thinks of clearing their browsing history, which will show any pages you’ve been visiting; some of which might even remember your login details automatically. To avoid any security issues, I recommend that you install a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN will keep your information anonymous by setting up an encrypted tunnel in which all of your internet traffic is routed through.
The VPN is basically a remote server that you connect to. When you use it, your location appears as that of the VPN’s server. It also hides your IP address since the VPN’s will be shown in place of yours, and because a lot of people will be using the same server as you, it’s impossible to determine the identity of those using it.
The encryption is what really makes a VPN a great and affordable (costing less than $15 per month) tool for anyone who wants to avoid identity theft. Because an encryption takes a lot of effort to crack, hackers aren’t likely to spend the time needed to do so. And why would they when there are plenty of people who don’t have their computer secure? If they don’t get into your computer, you’re good to go.
However, you should also secure your other devices, such as your smartphone or tablet. No matter whether you have Android or iOS, there is a VPN you can install, as many work for both. Android users, here are 3 of the best VPNs for your operating system. Apple users, take heart; these options will also work on iOS.
Ask Yourself What You Should or Shouldn’t Be Sharing
Sometimes it’s easy to be swooned into sharing information that you shouldn’t be. It happens all the time; someone meets an amazingly charming person either in person or online. They end up falling so head-over-heels that they don’t even realize that their bank account is being drained by their new found love.
It’s unfortunate, but these things do happen; so much so that it’s recently been a pretty popular topic amongst daytime TV show hosts like Dr. Phil McGraw. Sometimes it’s similar to the 419 Scam; othertimes, it’s just some “catfish” trying to make a quick buck. The most important security tip you could ever have is this: never, ever give out your banking information to those you are dating or even friends with, especially on a whim. After you’re married, it might be a different story.
Put some thought into it before you go handing out any personal information, as it could lead to a lot of trouble. Most importantly, pay attention to who is asking for your info and why.
Identity Theft Protection
Some additional ways you can protect yourself are to remember to log out of your online accounts when you’re done with them, create strong passwords and never use the same password for more than one account, avoid clicking on unfamiliar links (hover your cursor over the hyperlink to see the URL), and consider paying for an identity theft protection service. Prevention is the most important way to avoid identity theft, but even with the tips mentioned, remember that no one is immune to having their identity stolen. However, if you follow the tips in this article, you’ll be about as close as you can get.