Money Saver: Prevent identity theft
"(Omaha World-Herald (NE) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sep. 5--Identity theft is a major concern, because of increased use of debit and credit cards, and ordering merchandise and paying bills online. Bill Hardekopf, chief executive of LowCards.com, offers these ways to protect yourself:
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Don't publicly post anything you might use as a password: your birth date, pet's name, mother's maiden name, or your school. Identity thieves can use the information you post to guess your password.
Regularly review statements from your accounts. Make sure all purchases that appear are transactions that you actually authorized.
Pay attention to your monthly bills and follow up with creditors if one does not arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has changed your billing address to cover his or her tracks.
Put a fraud alert on your account. It will notify creditors to verify your identification before issuing credit in your name. A security freeze prevents potential creditors from accessing your credit report without your consent. The credit reporting company might charge a fee to place or remove a security freeze.
If you're moving, notify credit card companies and financial institutions in advance of any change of address or telephone number. Contact the sender if your statements are not received in the mail by their usual time.
Watch your mail. When a security breach occurs, the company is required to send you a notification letter with an explanation and instructions of what to do. It might also offer a free credit monitoring service and pay for the initial cost of a security freeze.
If you use a wireless router, enable the encryptions to scramble the data you send online.
Shred the following items you get in the mail: receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards. Remove receipts from your wallet and car several times a week.
Mail anything with personal information or payment at the post office, not from your mailbox."
http://www.estherpinkston.com
Posted By: Esther Pinkston
Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 3:27PM
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