Having your personal information stolen is a multi-billion dollar a year problem.  It can ruin your credit, cost you unnecessary money and regardless of the outcome it will eat up hundreds of hours of your time trying to resolve.  Here are the five best tips for preventing identity theft from happening to you.

1.  Be on alert. 
You can take precautions without becoming over obsesses with security.  For instance, if you are paying with a credit card at a store keep an eye on your card once it is handed over. Sometimes cashiers are trying to complete the transaction and will inadvertently lay the card on the counter until they ring you up.  Anyone around you can take note of your number. If they pay it down pick it up and hold it until they are completely ready for it.

2.  Your social security number is your life. 
Everything from your work to your money is linked directly to it.  Do not give it to anyone unless it is absolutely necessary and you are physically looking at them.  The only time you should have to give it to someone is if you are applying for a loan, working with a government agency, or with the appropriate personnel at work.  Never give it out over the phone, in an email or on the internet.

3.  Shred all old statements, bills and credit card receipts. 
The cost of a good shredder will be paid back numerous times in the peace of mind of knowing that you are protecting yourself.  Thieves love to go through neighborhoods and sift through trash.  They also like to ride through and look for homeowners with their red flag raised on their mailbox, indicating they are mailing something.  They also know the approximate time of the month when credit card bills are due and when you should be mailing off payments.  Either way it is an easy method of stealing mail and acquiring personal information.

 4.  Never leave information lying around the home or especially in your cars. 
If someone breaks into either place they are not just looking for valuables that they can sell.  They are also looking for information that they can use at a later date.  This is continued in number five.

5.  Pay close attention to your statements, invoices and your credit card and debit receipts. 
Don’t assume that everything is correct.  Mistakes occur frequently and issuers have 60 days to investigate them.  Anything older and you are at their mercy.  Plus, card issuers are not faultless- billing errors do happen.  But its not just companies that you need to watch out for.  One trick thieves like to play is subtlety.  They will charge one thing one month and wait to charge one thing the next month in the hope that you aren’t paying attention. 

Identity theft has become a greater challenge than ever with the advances in technology. Unfortunately, there are several ways that your identity can be stolen and abused by the selfish and greedy.

While the methods to steal your identity are many, there are also some solid ways to prevent others from obtaining your vital information.

KEEPING YOUR IDENTITY SECURE

Follow these strategies to help keep your identity safe:

1. Shred all documents. Do you find yourself discarding your credit card bills or pre-approval letters without giving a second thought? While the credit card companies do what they can to ensure your privacy, it’s still possible for someone to take your identity with the information available on each bill. Shred all mail that contains personal information.

✴Be thorough when shredding your documents. Simply tearing them in half won’t do. An inexpensive electronic shredder will save you time and help protect your personal data.

2. Sprinkle and spread remains throughout the garbage. Much is made about how these identity thieves are willing to rummage through your garbage. When throwing away old statements, be sure to spread all the pieces of paper around to ensure minimal chance of reassembly.

✴ Place a few pieces of paper at the bottom, add a layer or two of trash, and then put in more. You can even “sprinkle” the bills all over the bag and get them all mixed up with the rest of the garbage.

✴ Also, add as much miscellaneous garbage to the bag as possible. The more they have to rummage through, the more secure your identity is.

3. Avoid suspicious emails. Email phishing is one of the most common ways for thieves to get your information. Most of the time, you can recognize it as the spam that it is. However, identity thieves have gotten better at hiding behind official labels.

✴ Only open emails from people and businesses that you know and trust.
✴ Avoid clicking on any links in your emails, particularly for banking sites or online stores you’ve shopped at. It’s best to input known addresses into your browser and access websites manually rather than click a link in an email.

4. Keep your adware/anti-virus software up to date. One way that hackers can get your information is through spyware and viruses. Keep your software active and up to date to avoid this data theft.

✴ Run a virus scan on your computer at least once or twice each week. If you spend a lot of time on the internet and browse many sites, it’s a good idea to run a scan every day.

✴ Regularly clear out all temporary files and your history and run disk cleanups to get rid of any junk that has accumulated on your hard drive.

5. Avoid putting personal information, like credit card or banking data, in emails that you send. Emails are a non-secure environment that can be easily hacked. If you need to send private information, put it into a locked PDF file and attach it to your email. Then give your reader the code to unlock it by phone, fax, or in person when you see them. Or just call it in, instead of emailing it.

6. Ensure you’re on a secure site when giving personal information. A secure website will start with “https” instead of “http” and your lock icon at the bottom of your computer will appear.