Identity Theft and Credit Fraud Prevention

Identity Theft & Credit Fraud Prevention Tips

Social Media & Dating Websites

In most cases, social media is a great tool to connect with old friends, relatives or even meet a new mate. But be forewarned. Identity thieves use social media as a resource for new identity theft victims. Social Media is one of the most compromising and dangerous activities if you post too much information about your personal life, occupation, employment or where you live. You should also never post when you are going on vacation, where you are going or how long. Boasting about your personal life on social media isn’t the smartest idea whatsoever. You really don’t know who else is watching your profile.

Update your security settings frequently. Know who your contacts are. Don’t just "friend" people you don’t know. No one really has two thousand friends. Don’t let your ego open you for an attack by a unknowingly “friended” identity thief. If you think for a single moment it’s too much information to post, simply don’t do it. Use your common sense. Be wise.

Outgoing / Incoming Mail

Mail your outgoing mail at the U.S. Post Office. Don't hang mail out of your residence mailbox. The postal employee may not get it. Someone else could. Credit card statements, utility bills, student loan payments (Social Security Number as account number), contain valuable information for identity thieves. Don't invite them to your doorstep.

Clear incoming mail from your mailbox daily. Pre-Approved Credit offers can become numerous if you meet a certain criteria of the credit card companies making the offers. An intact pre-approved application makes it entirely to easy for identity thieves. Call (888) 5OPTOUT / 888-567-8688 to stop receiving the offers.

Over the Telephone

Never give your Social Security Number or Personal Identification Information to anyone over the telephone unless you initiated the contact. Legitimate companies or telemarketing representatives that may contact you are well aware that identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar crime. Policies should already be in place prohibiting representatives from asking for "too much" personal information.

Online Transactions / E-mail

Refrain from transmitting your Social Security Number via the Internet. There is no need for any online transaction to require more than your credit card number, expiration date, full name and your current address. Only purchase online from E-Commerce sites that use a secure server for credit and debit card transactions. Look for a Secure Site Seal on the homepage. Also keep in mind that e-mail could be viewed by hackers. Exercise good judgment when composing all email messages. Limit the personal information to be transmitted.

Online Resume Posting

Posting an overly revealing resume online can be risky. Online resumes should contain personal objectives, contact information, chronological work history and educational background. The main problem with HTML and Flash Presentation resumes are they sometimes include too much information (TMI) that employers do not need. Some of this being; date of birth, social security number, marital status, drivers / operators license information, ethnic background, height, and weight. Some resumes also include photographs.

Too much personal information included in an online resume could be used to commit identity theft. Identity thieves could possibly mask themselves as employers online. They may scan thousands of resumes until they hit "pay dirt". Once they find a resume with too much "identifying" information they can use it to commit credit fraud and identity theft. It costs an average of three hundred dollars or less to post a "ghost" job with online job posting services. That is a minimal amount to an identity thief that may scan thousands of resumes for potential victims. Odds are, the posting fee would have been paid online with a credit card obtained illegally.

Old Documents / Tax Forms / Credit Card Statements / Pre-Approved Credit Offers

Buy a personal paper shredder and use it. Usually these types of documents contain sensitive data, personal information and account numbers. Although you may consider some of it outdated trash identity thieves consider it to be a potential gold mine. Remember the old saying "one persons trash is another's treasure".