Have you ever yelled at the people who work for your credit card company and asked them to explain some of the things on your bill? Don't worry, this happens all the time. Maybe you didn't use that service or buy those goods, but you still have to pay for them because someone else used your name and ID to commit fraud. Some thieves try to get your security code or personal information to use it for themselves.
Identity theft is the type of commercial theft that is growing the fastest in the 21st century. On September 11, 2001, the FBI found that 11 of the hijackers were using credit cards, driver's licences, and passports with stolen identities. Isn't this scary?
Do you have a lot on your mind about your privacy and your money? Do you worry that it will get out? Don't worry, because you can protect your information from thieves. Your information is easy for hackers to get from computers, and then they charge you for goods.
This can be seen with the example of a thief stealing your name, date of birth, and social security number to take over your accounts and credit cards.
So, if you want to keep your identity safe, don't write your social security number or driver's licence number on your checks. This makes it easier for someone to steal your identity. With just one lost check, a con artist can learn your driver's licence number and social security number. From there, they can find out the rest of your information or even make a fake signature.
6 Ways to keep your identity from being stolen
Banks and other financial institutions work to keep their customers' identities safe. Before they do this, they tell the customers that this may cause them a small amount of trouble.
Among the things that can be done to stop identity theft are:
- Burn or shred all of your financial documents that have your social security number on them.
- Stop using your maiden name and start using your password instead.
- Don't give out your social security number unless you have to.
- Take your maiden name off of all the mailing lists run by credit agencies that have your name on them.
- If you've ever felt like you were a victim, please tell your credit card company or any other business where you think the theft happened right away.
- Look at your credit report twice a year to see if there are any mistakes or thefts.
If you don't check your credit card statements often, identity theft is more likely to happen to you. So make sure you keep an eye open. Sometimes small numbers show up on your bills, and you don't know where they came from. Check it out, because if it keeps happening every month, you'll lose a lot of money over time. It's happened not just once, but three times!
Even though there have been high-profile cases of hackers breaking into websites and stealing millions of dollars through credit cards, this type of identity theft is almost always a low-tech crime. So protect as much information as you can to stop identity theft.
