Here are… Ten Preventative Steps To Help
Safeguard Against Identity Theft.
Guard against malicious thieves stealing your identity.
If you receive suspicious billings or items that you
don’t recognize. Call and investigate them right away with
your provider. Try to head of any means of fraud before it
can occur.
When you receive financial inquiries or solicitations in
the mail…DON’T just discard them in the trash. Invest in a
good crosscut shredder…Don’t discard ANY mail
solicitations, fianancial papers, bank statements, invoices,
quoates, or any items that may contain information about you
or your family members. Don’t give would-be thieves an
opportunity to gain access to your identity.
Don’t give anyone your financial or private information over
the telephone unless you initiated the original phone
conversation and you can verify the person or organization
you’re speaking to.
It’s sad, but true in today’s world. You must be very
careful not offer ANYONE your social security number, bank
account number, credit card number, or any private or
financial information over the phone without first properly
identifying them. Get their contact phone and call back to
verify. Also be careful not to be talking on a cordless or
cellular phone….these are NOT secure devices. Anyone with
a radio scanner may be able to monitor your conversation!
Protect your ATM cards, Personal Identication Numbers
(P.I.N.) Guard against ANYONE gaining possession of of any
ATM Cards, Charge Cards, and (PIN) Personal Identification
Numbers.Check that they are always in your control. Keep
account numbers, receipts, and contact information in a secure place
that’seasily accessed by you in the event that you identity
information is breached.
Report any lost, stolen, or missing checks immediately to
your bank. They can then arrange to block payment on
specific check numbers in question. When you receive your
checks in the mail, always confirm that none are missing.
Make sure to store cancelled checks in a safe place.
If you receive strange or suspicious inquiries asking for
your account information to verify a statement or confirm an
award or prize winnings….call your bank and report this
immediately.
Times have changed over the years. It is suggested that you
no longer attach outgoing mail to your mailbox for pickup.
Instead, deliver it directly to an official Post Office or
postal collection box. This is one of the easiest ways a
thief can steal your identity.
If you notice that your regular bills have stopped coming,
find out why. Call the company to verify. Someone could
have filed a false change of address to re-direct your
information to his or her address.
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By protecting yourself using these simple steps, you can
help prevent would be identity thieves from accessing and
gaining your identity.
These days Identity Theft is making HUGE headlines in the
News. Always be on guard to detect and prevent any would-be
theieves from stealing your Identity. No one wants to suffer
malicious damages caused by someone posing as you or
cleaning out your bank accounts, running up debt on credit
cards, or any number of other unauthorized acts.
These threats are REAL ! Hundreds of thousands of people
are victimized by these crimes every year.
(c) Copyright 2003 by Ken Burnett
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entitled “Intruder Alert Ezine” published by a 30-year
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Ken Burnett
Publisher – Intruder Alert Ezine;[http://www.intruderalertezine.com]
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Author – “Professional Home Security Secrets-Revealed”
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