How to protect yourself from identity theft

Identity theft or fraud is fast becoming one of the biggest threats to your financial security and it can seriously damage you credit report and credit rating. Most people associate id theft with the internet but it is a much bigger problem than that. A lot of id fraud is committed in the offline world by criminals who may not be very web savvy. In other words, it is just plain old fashioned theft.

Some criminals will harvest card pin numbers by hanging around cash machines or shops. They will also go through your rubbish to obtain crucial personal data such as your utility bills or credit card statements. Essentially they are after something that can enable them to adopt your identity and then use it.

Consequences of your id being stolen

The main problem associated with identity fraud is credit related. You may also find it very difficult to obtain loans, mortgages or credit cards. However, damaged credit is not the only outcome of identity fraud. You can face the risk of criminals knowing more about you than you would like.

Once they have access to certain areas of your life it becomes much easier for them to learn more about you. They can use your personal documents to make further inroads into your id by obtaining other crucial documents such as passports or driving licences.

The thing you must ask yourself is – would you invite a criminal into your home? No, I thought not. By making sure you have identity theft prevention measures in place you protect your good credit and, more importantly, your family.

Id theft prevention – what can you do?

The good news is that identity theft prevention is something that you can control!

Buy paper shredders – get rid of sensitive documents such as bank statements and utility bills. The less you have lying around the less chance you will fall a victim of id theft.

Always monitor what is on your computer. Invest in good anti virus software and make sure that you are protected from spyware by regularly updating it and monitoring your computer with it all the time. Do not be tempted to turn it off.

You should ensure that your email is thoroughly checked as well because this is another way in which fraudsters can get at your identity. Phishing is becoming more and more prevalent as a method that criminals use to steal your identity. Lock your mailboxes and make sure your good name stays safe!

Do not fall victim to internet hoaxes or scams – these normally take the form of chain emails. On the outside they look perfectly innocent but in reality they can be an unlawful attempt at id theft.

Be very careful when using instant messaging – again, this is an activity that appears harmless but, in truth, it can be used by criminals to steal your id.

Be very careful about what you download from the internet as your id can be stolen by malware that installs itself on to your pc and then secretly records everything that you do. This can include your log in details for your online banking, recording of your email and instant messaging and much more! Malware can leave you seriously at risk of identity theft - prevent it from happening by protecting your pc.

Invest in a good credit monitoring organisation such as Lifelock – organisations like this can not only buy you peace of mind, they can save you from the pain of damaged credit by protecting you from identity fraud in the first place.

Identity theft is a huge problem. But if you take the steps to protect yourself from id fraud there is no reason why you need fall victim to this growing crime. Preventing identity theft will save you a lot of grief in the long run.