Ideas for Identity Protection
Well, as I posted on Valentine's Day, our bank notified us of a suspected fraudulent charge attempt and wanted to know if we had indeed tried to purchase anything at "O. David Dickson" for $1. We had not obviously. So, they closed the account immediately, started a fraud investigation and will be sending us new cards.
To add insult to injury for the lowlife thief, he called the bank the next day to complain about them blocking the charge. While he was on the phone complaining in his obvious overseas accent, the bank called our house. Donna told them I do have a southern drawl, but certainly no "accent" to mention. So, they had a chance to trace the scumbag.
Anyhow, I thought I might post a few pointers and provide a forum for others to share their ideas and feedback on protecting your identity and keeping your information safe. So, here are some of my ideas/practices:
1) Use different credit cards for specific types of purchase. What do I mean? Have a card you only use online. Use it for your recurring bills, online payments to Amazon, Apple, etc. only. Never put the actual card in your wallet. This way it minimizes the card's exposure.
Use one card only for restaurants and the like where you hand over your card to another person. I would say also use this card for gas pumps, and other swipe card locations too. This is your "public" card and the one you will likely have to watch the most.
2) Never, ever, use your debit card anywhere except a swipe location in a store you trust implicitly. Never give your debit card to another person to run a charge. Ever! A debit card exposes your regular checking account and the rules are different regarding your liability/exposure in the event of a theft at different banks.
3) Carry any personal identifying cards (such as your drivers license) in a different wallet, pocket, or location than your credit cards and cash. In the event you are pick-pocketed or mugged, the criminal does not get your address, your photo and more clues they can use to steal your identity. For women this is tougher since they use purses, but it is still a wise precaution to keep IDs somewhere else.
4) Never click on an email message from your bank with a link in it. If you want to investigate an offer, try just going to the bank's website. Or call about the offer. This reduces your risk to malware and phishing scams. Never use your SSN online, don't give it out over the phone unless you are 100% certain of its security. These days nobody asks for the whole number anyhow, except when you apply for a credit card or loan anyhow. A bank website should never ask for it in its entirety.
5) Monitor your statements each month and verify the charges against your receipts.
6) Run your free annual credit reports every 4 months. You are allowed 1 free annual report from each credit bureau per year, and there are 3 bureaus. If you are married and have numerous or all joint accounts, you and your spouse EACH get a free annual report from each, thus bringing the total to 6 free runs. Put the dates on a calendar somewhere and make it a habit to use this free service.
7) Sign up for the telephone solicitation Opt-out list where you can request no at home telephone solicitations, and also Opt-out of the Pre-Screened Credit card offers (https://www.optoutprescreen.com) today.
Most of the rest of my ideas are really just common sense. I am not (yet) a fan of, or believer in the need for, an identity protection service. Honestly, I would be leery of them perhaps getting breached sometime or of a disgruntled employee perhaps selling my info. It isn't a cheap service and I must admit, it will be a tough sell for me. However, if you are compromised, they are likely worth the expense. So?
Anyhow, I encourage others to share their ideas and practices. This is just a real short list of some of mine. I honestly hope none of my friends ever had to find out about identity theft first hand.
To add insult to injury for the lowlife thief, he called the bank the next day to complain about them blocking the charge. While he was on the phone complaining in his obvious overseas accent, the bank called our house. Donna told them I do have a southern drawl, but certainly no "accent" to mention. So, they had a chance to trace the scumbag.
Anyhow, I thought I might post a few pointers and provide a forum for others to share their ideas and feedback on protecting your identity and keeping your information safe. So, here are some of my ideas/practices:
1) Use different credit cards for specific types of purchase. What do I mean? Have a card you only use online. Use it for your recurring bills, online payments to Amazon, Apple, etc. only. Never put the actual card in your wallet. This way it minimizes the card's exposure.
Use one card only for restaurants and the like where you hand over your card to another person. I would say also use this card for gas pumps, and other swipe card locations too. This is your "public" card and the one you will likely have to watch the most.
2) Never, ever, use your debit card anywhere except a swipe location in a store you trust implicitly. Never give your debit card to another person to run a charge. Ever! A debit card exposes your regular checking account and the rules are different regarding your liability/exposure in the event of a theft at different banks.
3) Carry any personal identifying cards (such as your drivers license) in a different wallet, pocket, or location than your credit cards and cash. In the event you are pick-pocketed or mugged, the criminal does not get your address, your photo and more clues they can use to steal your identity. For women this is tougher since they use purses, but it is still a wise precaution to keep IDs somewhere else.
4) Never click on an email message from your bank with a link in it. If you want to investigate an offer, try just going to the bank's website. Or call about the offer. This reduces your risk to malware and phishing scams. Never use your SSN online, don't give it out over the phone unless you are 100% certain of its security. These days nobody asks for the whole number anyhow, except when you apply for a credit card or loan anyhow. A bank website should never ask for it in its entirety.
5) Monitor your statements each month and verify the charges against your receipts.
6) Run your free annual credit reports every 4 months. You are allowed 1 free annual report from each credit bureau per year, and there are 3 bureaus. If you are married and have numerous or all joint accounts, you and your spouse EACH get a free annual report from each, thus bringing the total to 6 free runs. Put the dates on a calendar somewhere and make it a habit to use this free service.
7) Sign up for the telephone solicitation Opt-out list where you can request no at home telephone solicitations, and also Opt-out of the Pre-Screened Credit card offers (https://www.optoutprescreen.com) today.
Most of the rest of my ideas are really just common sense. I am not (yet) a fan of, or believer in the need for, an identity protection service. Honestly, I would be leery of them perhaps getting breached sometime or of a disgruntled employee perhaps selling my info. It isn't a cheap service and I must admit, it will be a tough sell for me. However, if you are compromised, they are likely worth the expense. So?
Anyhow, I encourage others to share their ideas and practices. This is just a real short list of some of mine. I honestly hope none of my friends ever had to find out about identity theft first hand.
Comments
Post a Comment