How to Prevent Identity Theft
With the rise of the internet and the prevalence of social media, keeping your information private is sometimes difficult, but there are ways to guard yourself from identity theft:
- Never keep your Social Security card on you
- Keep all your physical records locked in a safe place
- Do not include your birthday, place of birth, or other personal information on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter
- Use passwords often and vary them
- Stay up-to-date with your financial information
- Avoid public Wi-Fi and only use trusted internet connections
- Protect your PIN numbers, whether in the checkout line or over the phone
- When throwing away important documents, shred them
- Do not open unsolicited emails that promise benefits but request personal information
- Be wary about sharing information over the phone
