How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
Follow these steps to protect yourself from prying eyes.
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Access Denied - Whether someone jacked their credit card number or opened an account in their name, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that more than 16 million Americans experienced identity theft in 2012 (the most recent year for which data is available). Follow these tips to protect yourself and avoid joining their ranks. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)
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Read Your Bank Statements - Review your paper statements or register with your bank online and check your digital statements every couple weeks to be sure there is no unusual activity. And if your bank offers a free service that lets you know when odd purchases pop up — say a round of golf in the UK — sign up for that, too. (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Corbis)
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Keep Your Online Info Private - Whether it’s your Amazon account password or your banking info, keep it to yourself. If you use the autofill feature on your personal computer for passwords, protect the entire computer with a master password. And when you’re using public computers or connect to the Internet via public Wi-Fi, do not save your personal info when signing into accounts and be sure to properly log off. (Photo: Stockbyte/Getty Images)
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Monitor Your Credit - Thanks to the federal government, you’re entitled to a free credit report from each of the three bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax, Experian — every year. Head to AnnualCreditReport.com to claim them. Best strategy: Stagger them and view one every four months, looking for accounts you didn’t open. Or try a free site like CreditKarma.com, which lets you track your credit accounts and alerts you to changes. (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)
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Use Your Credit Card When Shopping Online - In general, credit cards offer better fraud protection than debit cards. So opt for credit when shopping online; just pay it back ASAP to keep your credit score on point. (Photo: REUTERS/Jim Bourg /Landov)
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