We are getting so many
credit
card applications in the mail now, that we are still failing to protect
our credit status from identity theft by just throwing these credit
card offers in the garbage. Knowledgable criminals are not only aware
of our habits, but also to take advantage of them. It's like this -
it's the little things in life we take for granted that criminals take
as an opportunity.
The devious criminal mind knows how to steal your identity from you.
Heck, it's really not all that hard at all. They just have to pay
attention to the habits of people. Because we choose to treat junk mail
like junk, we forget that some of our personal information may be
lurking inside that envelope.
The first piece of advice I could give is to invest in a good paper
shredder. Many households already have a small personal shredder to
shred all those credit applications. Before I bought my own shredder I
would go through all my unwanted mail and tear or cut out any personal
information and burn them in my fireplace. The excess would just go for
recycling.
But...if you do not make an effort to shred or otherwise destroy any
mail that contains any personal information about you, criminals will
seek your private information and use it against you.
Two other
types of
personal information you need to be aware of are:
- your social security number (social
insurance number in Canada)
- and driver's license number
If you do your own income tax forms at home remove any private
information first before discarding any unwanted
material. After renewing your annual driver's licence, cut up
or shred your old license into several small pieces. Ensure the pieces
are not easily put back together to read any discernable
text.
So what can
happen
if a criminal steals your identity?
If a criminal finds your discarded credit card application in the
garbage, they will use your name apply for the credit card and then use
it to it's maximum credit limit. They can apply for a loan and not make
any payments on it...all in your name. Guess who the loan companies go
after?
YOU!
If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Millions and millions
of people are victims of identity theft every year. The main
consequence of those affected by identity theft is a bad credit report.
The criminal doesn't have anything personal against you. Their job is
to take advantage of you. It's just business.
Another scary point to make is that you may not even find out that your
identity has been stolen until it's too late. As many as 85 percent of
all identity theft victims do not find out about the crime until they
are denied credit or employment, contacted by the police, or have to
deal with collection agencies, credit cards, utilities and other bills.
It is not just our mail that is being used to steal our identies. The
Internet has been compounding the problem of identity theft. Many
people using the Internet to submit personal information are still
unware that the sites they are on are not secure, or that the website
in question is a fake. As great as the Internet may be, it is just like
any other system. There are good and BAD elements composed in virtually
any type of system. We just need to learn to filter out all the bad
elements.
Protecting your credit and preventing criminals from stealing your
identity is paramount in our world of credit and debt. You will find
much more on identity theft and how you can protect your credit score
within the site...
