Protect Your Finances From Identity Theft
Identity theft, commonly known as id theft is one type of crime where one person use some very crucial key piece of information of other persons such as credit card number, account number, social security number in order to portray someone else. That information can be used to obtain credit, merchandise, property and services in the name of the dupe person. It is the most profitable crime mostly used to achieve financial gain, and the crimes incorporated by the masters of identity theft are often assigned to the victim. Not only has the thief acquired money of the victims but often the use it to commit crimes and illegal activities to the name of the victims. By stealing identity like account number or social security number the thieve can open a bank account or credit card account and then apply for loan and remove funds from varying financial accounts.
Start with the needed requirement of storing your valuable documents in a lock box. The expired driving license might be worthless to you in a minor traffic situation, but this works in favor of an identity theft. So keep that in your lock box and remember to store it in a safe place that is less obvious. The other lock box documents should include current or expired social security numbers, passports and any documents pertaining to citizenship or residency status.
Obviously, people don't always check to see if someone else is using their driving license. Your social security number is also in the vulnerability list for identity theft. With more and more illegal entries in a country and requiring a social security number to get a job, you social security number is at risk. These numbers are also rarely checked for scam. So by the time you realize that you are at a loss, it is too late.
With minimum of two pieces of personal information, your medical insurance information can be leaked and even accessed to get medical treatment coverage. Identity theft might also lead to your arrest for failing to appear in court, even when the case is just a minor traffic violation. But more commonly financial loss is what pops up when you hear of identity theft. A credit card can be easily hacked to get money.
A careless customer fails to consider the mistake in providing his personal information to an unknown source either through e-mails or phone calls. Thus, be alert and don't give out any information to a financial institution where you do not have an account. In addition, remember to check your credit report to ensure that no one has accessed your credit card number.
Start with the needed requirement of storing your valuable documents in a lock box. The expired driving license might be worthless to you in a minor traffic situation, but this works in favor of an identity theft. So keep that in your lock box and remember to store it in a safe place that is less obvious. The other lock box documents should include current or expired social security numbers, passports and any documents pertaining to citizenship or residency status.
Obviously, people don't always check to see if someone else is using their driving license. Your social security number is also in the vulnerability list for identity theft. With more and more illegal entries in a country and requiring a social security number to get a job, you social security number is at risk. These numbers are also rarely checked for scam. So by the time you realize that you are at a loss, it is too late.
With minimum of two pieces of personal information, your medical insurance information can be leaked and even accessed to get medical treatment coverage. Identity theft might also lead to your arrest for failing to appear in court, even when the case is just a minor traffic violation. But more commonly financial loss is what pops up when you hear of identity theft. A credit card can be easily hacked to get money.
A careless customer fails to consider the mistake in providing his personal information to an unknown source either through e-mails or phone calls. Thus, be alert and don't give out any information to a financial institution where you do not have an account. In addition, remember to check your credit report to ensure that no one has accessed your credit card number.
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Learn more about identity theft. Stop by Joe Wilson's site where you can find out how to stop identity theft.