Taking Steps To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

There are several different things that can be considered identity theft - the fraudulent use of someone else's credit card, seeking employment in someone else's name and running up bills using another peron's name, for example. Unfortunately, the victims of identity theft are often held responsible for debts or other problems that are created. For this reason, you should follow some simple guidelines to protect yourself.

First, you need to be able to recognize the different types of identity theft and how they occur. Checking your credit rating on a regular basis and watching your bills and statements for unusual items are just a start. You should also consider the following:

- Never give out personal information unless it is to someone that is well known and trusted to you

- Get a shredder for all sensitive documents like bank and credit card statements, and shred them before you throw them out

- Keep your social security number confidential and NEVER have it printed on your check book

- Leave unnecessary identification at home or someplace safe so they are not stolen

- Think about taking your information out of the telephone book

- Cancel and destroy any cards that are not used

- If you lose your purse or wallet, or it's stolen, contact all financial institutions that you deal with

You can also help protect yourself by keeping important documents locked away in a safe at home or a safety deposit box at your bank. Never share your personal information through unsolicited email or phone calls. If you're traveling, leave a copy of your identification with someone you can contact in case the originals are stolen or lost.

Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft Online

Tips for protection against online identity theft are relatively simple. Always keep the computer protected from viruses and hacking using high quality antivirus and spyware programs which are updated regularly. Change passwords frequently and make them as hard to figure out as possible using combinations of letters and numbers. Never answer emails requesting account information, passwords or credit card details. Before entering bank or credit card information, verify that the website is authentic and safe to use as it could easily be a fake.