How Can I Protect Myself From Identity Theft?

Identity Theft is a terrible menace today. As per the reports of Federal Trade Commission, over 9 million Americans have to face the outcomes of identity theft each year. Further, Canada Post statistics suggest that two prominent credit bureaus of Canada, namely Equifax and Transunion, report on average 1400 to 1800 Canadian identity theft complaints every month. There are widespread awareness campaigns being held globally for combating this menace. However, each individual needs to take charge of one’s personal identity security and be instrumental in reducing such incidences.

Before going into details of staying protected from identity fraud, we shall first discuss what leads to it.

What Leads to Identity Theft?

We all know that Identity Theft is a fraud in which some individuals steal away your sensitive personal information to- plot another crime in your name or to use this information to their advantage and drain you out of your finances. They get hold of this sensitive personal information of yours spuriously. Your bank account statements delivered by post, or public and business trash in dumping areas are vital carriers of that critical financial information you want to protect. Thieves may break into your house or intercept your mail delivery system for getting hold of those extremely important details to plot an identity theft.

However, the methods discussed in the previous paragraph are the things of past now. This highly technical information era has caused theft methodologies also to take a leap. Your e-statements and credit card details on your email are not at all safe. Cyber criminals are expert enough to design and load spyware programs on your PC through email spams, or bring about a phishing scam to steal your personal data.

How to Stay Clear of Identity Theft

Let us discuss some ways to avoid Identity Theft. Being mindful of few habits and paying heed to minor warning signals can save you big trouble.

●    Never give out your personal or financial details to a stranger over the Internet. Take out time to pay special attention to suspicious emails or hoax websites.

●    Double check the credibility of an e-shopping website and payment gateway.

●    Look out for a closed padlock symbol on your browser window near the address bar while you are about to make online payment.

●    Make sure that a web page is secured, by checking that the web address begins with “https”, before you begin to type in your personal details or password on it.

●    Never click on a suspicious link of a web page that promises to make you win huge sum.

●    Use a good and reputable Internet security software with firewall to secure your online session.

●    Keep track of your billing cycles and make sure that you receive them, if they are to come by post. You must not miss even a single post as a person with wrongful intentions might have intercepted the mail and got your sensitive information.

●    Also, do notify the credit card company, or any other organization which sends you regular mails, about any change of address.

●    Do report to the concerned authority in case you suspect an identity theft.

As, the methodologies to carry out a fraud are changing, so should our precautionary measures.