Credit Bureaus Help Stop Identity Theft
With all the advanced technology available to them, bad guys are increasingly turning to identity theft as a way to rip you off. Identity theft is when someone takes and inappropriately uses the personal and financial information of another person for his or her own personal gain. Identity thieves typically put hefty charges on a stolen credit card or commit crimes in another person’s name. This causes the victim a lot of trouble and time, in some cases years, to sort out.
This new wave of crime can be nerve-wracking. You can become paranoid worrying about the ways identity thieves have figured out to steal your information. But there are several things you can do to protect yourself. One of the simplest and most important is to look at your credit score from the credit bureaus on a regular basis.
A new piece of legislation passed recently mandates that the three main credit bureaus have to let me check my credit score for free at least one a year. Sometimes, seeing your numerical credit score ratings will cost you a small fee. By checking your credit report, you can view all the accounts that are open in your name. If anything appears suspicious, you can look into the accounts and argue the findings with the credit bureau, free of charge.
Monitoring your credit with the credit bureaus is a first step only, though. Another important step which can easily be implemented is to shred any important documents before throwing them out. Identity thieves have been known to sift through potential victims’ garbage for usable information, so make sure your garbage doesn’t contain any.
Another surefire way to safeguard yourself from having your identity stolen is to carry the bare minimum of ID with you. In the case that you are mugged or lose your purse or wallet, thieves and potential identity thieves will have little to go on. Your social security number is especially important to protect, so don’t carry your social security card in your wallet. It’s best to leave it locked away in a safe location at your house.
Finally, it is important to write down and keep safe the account numbers of all your bank accounts and credit cards. If you also record all of the telephone numbers to the places where you do financial business it will help quicken the process of documenting felony, preventing criminal acts that would be detrimental to your credit.
Identity theft is on the rise, but you can do a lot to protect yourself from becoming a victim. Regularly contact credit bureaus to check my credit score. Credit score ratings can usually be obtained as well for a small fee. Shred any documents containing personal information before disposing of them. Carry as little personal identification on you as possible, and always leave your social security number in a safe place at home. Keep a record of all account numbers and banking information, as well as contact numbers. Acting quickly to notify your financial institutions of potential identity theft can save your credit.
- Daniel Lesser