You do a lot of things throughout the day that put your personal information at risk, like writing a check at the store or charging items in person or over the phone. You might not give these deals a second thought, but other people might.
Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America. This is when a criminal takes on someone else's identity for personal or financial gain, like when they steal a credit card and use it to make purchases in the victim's name.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says that in 2004, there were almost 10 million cases of identity theft, which cost people $5 billion.
The National Crime Prevention Council is behind the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign, which aims to teach people what they can do to stop identity theft. Here are some tips from the council.
- Shred any documents you are throwing away, such as credit card applications that have already been approved, bank statements, store receipts, and utility bills. People who "dumpster dive" can get to your personal information if you throw such things away in the trash.
- Get a copy of your credit report at least twice a year and write to the credit reporting agency if there are any mistakes.
- Don't write your phone number or Social Security number on checks or credit card receipts.
- Cancel any credit cards that haven't been used in the last six months. Thieves like to steal from people who have open credit.
- Don't give your credit card number to a company that sells things online unless the number is encrypted and the site is safe. Look at the first part of your browser's Web address. It needs to say "https://."
- Before you get rid of your computer or send it in for repair, remove all documents that contain personal information from the hard drive.
- Don't give out personal information unless you've asked for it or know the person or company you're dealing with. Also, never answer an email with personal information like your Social Security number or bank account number. Companies that are on the up and up won't ask you to do this.
If your identity has been stolen, you should contact the police as soon as possible. If someone stole your identity in one place but used it in another, you may need to report the crime in both places.
