ID Theft Prevention

"Is There Big Trouble Lurking in Your Wallet?...

It's chilling to learn that the Federal Trade Commission says that an estimated 3.2 million Americans are hit by identity theft every year.

Most people fear sharing any personal information over the Internet, but purse snatching is the primary danger of ID theft. 

This should be a warning to anyone who carries a big bundle of credit and ID cards in their wallet or purse. 

Take inventory of what is in your wallet and to clean it out to the minimum.

The fewer items of personal information you carry, the less chance ID thieves will have to cause you months of anguish, while you try to get your life back to normal. 

Here are a few helpful suggestions to get you started:

 -- Social Security Card. Get your Social Security card out of your wallet or purse. With it ID thieves would be able to apply for credit cards and bank loans easily. 

Then you would be faced with months of stress trying to clean up the mess. Only take your Social Security card with you when you need it -- applying for a job or for financial transactions. 

If you can't memorize your it your can transform you SS number into a code only you will understand. 

You can break your number up into what looks like a street address, apartment number and telephone number.  Put that on a small card and carry that instead of your SS card.

-- Extra Credit Cards. Stop carrying more than one or two credit cards except. Make photo copies of the front and back of all your cards.

File those copies in a safe place in your home. If your wallet or purse is stolen, you will have copies of your credit card numbers and the toll-free telephone numbers where you can report your cards stolen.

-- Receipts. Watch out for receipts that may display your credit card number. If you need them for tax purposes, start a filing system at home. Then there will be no reason to carry them with you. 

   
A company called AP9 PrivacyMatters can provide you with the tools you need to access and monitor your financial/credit information through the program’s credit reporting and monitoring benefits.

AP9 Privacy Matters and its benefit providers are not credit repair service providers and do not receive fees for such services, nor are they credit clinics, credit repair or credit services organizations or businesses, as defined by federal and state law. http://www.privacymatters-program.com/

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ID Theft Prevention