To protect against ID theft you first of all have to know how it could be stolen. Computerized theft is prevalent in today’s electronic world, however, not all thieves have the know-how or even the helpful information on this method and revert to the low-tech methods which have been used to hundreds of years.
Whenever a professional ID thief truly really wants to get your information, they will be successful. However, there are some things you can do to guard yourself against identity fraud.
Of course, it is easier once you know just what ID theft entails. When a criminal steals your identity, you’re still you. But, any charges they ring up in your name will become your responsibility if you can’t prove otherwise.
The thief changes the address on the application and signs it and mails it back in. According to your credit score and the diligence the charge card company uses to give approval to applications, the thief receives the card under your name at the new address, along with the bills.
Consider the theft of a pre-approved bank card offer which comes in the U.S. Mail. You choose that you don’t need it and dispose of it. That’s of course, unless a thief takes it out of your mailbox and you never know it arrived.
You will not know about the charge unless you start getting phone calls about past-due payments on a charge card you didn’t know you even had. Here is the typical process that accompanies identity theft and will be absolutely devastating to discover if you have no idea something is long gone to begin with.
By protecting your mail from thieves this can be avoided. When it comes to those pre-approved offers, don’t simply throw them inside the trash. Shredders are not that expensive and may be looked at cheap when weighing the consequences.
Ideally, you can even contact the 3 credit rating bureaus and request that your name and data not be supplied to companies with regards to issuing invitations that include pre-approved credit applications.
In addition, you need to have a locking mailbox installed so those who find themselves trying to gather information about you the old fashioned way (via the mail) can’t access your own personal information. There are a multitude of different types of locking mailboxes, to match your needs and the needs of your home.
