Protect Yourself From Identity Theft With These Tips

While identity theft has always been a problem, it’s become even more prevalent in our digital age. With so much of your personal information floating around on the internet, it’s never been easier for identity thieves to get access to your information.

Once these criminals get your information, you can be left to deal with damaged credit, debt, and untold emotional stress.

Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take when avoiding identity theft. If you’re worried about protecting your personal information, applying these tips can help you protect yourself against identity theft.

Upgrade Your Cybersecurity

In the past, identity thieves would rummage through dumpsters looking for bank statements, credit cards, and other pieces of personal information.

Today, all of that information is readily available on the internet, which has made the work of these criminals much easier. Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take to protect yourself.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you need complex passwords on any accounts that could contain personal information. Using words like your children’s names, pet’s name, or your spouse’s name is easy for hackers to figure out.

Also, if you use any numbers, you should try to avoid using your anniversary or important birthdays. Try to use complex passwords.

It’s also a good idea to enable two-factor authentication on any platforms that have it as an option. For instance, when logging into your online bank, use a password and require the site to send you a code to your cellphone each time you log in.

This extra step only takes a few seconds but can save you a lot of stress in the future.

Knowledge is Power

While it’s never been easier for criminals to get access to your personal information, it’s also never been easier for you to keep track of your information, especially when it comes to banking. Most banks have measures in place that freeze accounts if fraudulent activity is suspected.

However, there are cases in which these measures don’t work. With that in mind, you need to be aware of what’s going on with your bank accounts.

You probably have access to your bank account on your phone, and if you’re like most people, you’re never anywhere without your phone.

Be sure that you’re regularly checking your bank account information to see if there have been any strange charges. Banks allow you to contest charges, and most platforms will let you freeze the account from the app.

If you see anything that you know didn’t come from you, get the account frozen, and start the process of disputing the charges. It may take some time to get your money back, but you can stop the criminals before they have time to drain your account completely.

Shred Sensitive Documents

While most identity thieves no longer rely on going through people’s trash, it’s still important to shred sensitive documents like tax forms, bank statements, and medical forms. All of these forms probably have your name, date of birth, address, and social security number on them.

With that in mind, there are some criminals out there who are willing to dig through trash in search of this type of information. With so many online risks, a lot of attention has been diverted to the cyber realm, making it easier for people to get access to tangible forms of personal information.

You can find a shredder for your home at virtually any store, either online or in person. Having a reliable shredder can help you ensure that anyone who dares dig through your garbage doesn’t find anything they can use for their own personal gain.

It’s also a good idea to scrub any electronic devices that contain personal information before getting rid of them.

Watch Out for Phishing Scams

People who want to steal your identity don’t have to figure out your Facebook password or your banking app log-in if they can convince you to give them the information yourself. One of the ways that they do this is by sending out fake emails and even text messages that cause you to click a link that gives them access to your information.

Even if they don’t go that far, they can often trick people into providing information by making emails look like they’re coming from an official source.

One of the most common phishing scams in recent years saw cybercriminals create fake emails that looked like they came from the IRS. They sent these emails to people claiming that there was a problem with their tax returns, resulting in unknowing victims providing confidential information to people who used that data to steal their identities.

There’s nothing you can do to stop people from sending phishing emails or texts to you. While you can certainly block the sender after you recognize the phishing attempt, there will always be more. Look for indications that an email came from a fake source.

There will probably be grammatical errors in the email, and the address may even change the order of some letters to make it look official. Most importantly, don’t provide any information until you contact the company that the email claims to represent and verify the authenticity.

Protecting Yourself Made Easy

Ultimately, none of these tips are hard to implement. They just require you to take some steps to make sure that your personal information stays private.

By being vigilant online and in how you dispose of anything that contains personal information, you can avoid identity theft. There will always be people out there trying to gain access to your data, but you can protect yourself and your money.