There were more than 650,000 instances of reported identity theft in 2019, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Separate information from Javelin Strategy & Research found that consumers lost almost $17 billion to fraud in the same year.
Concerned you might not be doing enough to prevent identity theft? Check out these tips we’ve collected to help you lead a more secure life and safeguard your information, finances and family.
In today’s digital world, we have a tendency to automatically associate identity theft with cybercrime. While data breaches are a major source of identity theft, there are other ways it can happen. Focusing on just one possibility may leave you vulnerable in other areas.
If someone gets a hold of your Social Security card, they have just about free range to impersonate you. Your Social Security number is a critical piece of data and often known only by you.
When your Social Security number is requested for something like a loan application, be sure that the organization is totally legitimate. It’s important that you proceed extremely carefully when giving your Social Security number to anyone.
If you’re throwing away important documents with personally identifying information, criminals can steal that information or use it to access other accounts.
Buy a shredder and shred all documents that include sensitive information.