it, get electronic statements rather than paper ones which can be stolen from your physical mailbox. Keep your Social Security Card, bank information, credit card statements and so on, in a safe place, preferably one that can be locked.

5. Buy a decent shredder
Shred all documents that contain personal information. Buy one that can also shred credit cards, as sometimes these come unsolicit

Identity Theft on the Rise

Identity theft is a growing problem, not just in the USA, but worldwide. Every week it seems there is a new story about some corporation that has lost a laptop containing important client information including Social Security Numbers. If it happens to you, it’s a disaster than can take years to put right, and cost thousands of dollars. This article is designed to save you from identity theft in the first place, and then give you some brief advice on what to do if you are a victim. Here are my tips to help prevent such a catastrophe:

1. Know what’s in your wallet.
Do you really know all the cards in your wallet? Do you know the numbers to call to cancel these cards if your wallet is lost? The easiest way to remember all this is to simply put all your cards on a photocopier at once, and copy them. Then copy the back side. Keep these two sheets of paper in a secure location, and if the worst happens and you do lose your wallet and need to cancel your cards, the info is right there.

2. Cancel inactive credit card accounts.
Don’t take the risk of someone using your card on an account that you never check.

3. Monitor your credit.
You are allowed by law to get one free credit report per year, but that is not often enough. The best thing is to sign up for a service that monitors your credit constantly and alerts you if someone applies for credit in your name, or if unusual spending patterns appear. Details on such a service appear at the end of this article.

4. Safeguard your personal information.
If you are comfortable with it, get electronic statements rather than paper ones which can be stolen from your physical mailbox. Keep your Social Security Card, bank information, credit card statements and so on, in a safe place, preferably one that can be locked.

5. Buy a decent shredder
Shred all documents that contain personal information. Buy one that can also shred credit cards, as sometimes these come unsolicite

you from identity theft in the first place, and then give you some brief advice on what to do if you are a victim. Here are my tips to help prevent such a catastrophe:

1. Know what’s in your wallet.
Do you really know all the cards in your wallet? Do you know the numbers to call to cancel these cards if your wallet is lost? The easiest way to remember all this is to simply put all your cards on a photocopier at once, and copy them. Then copy the back side. Keep these two sheets of paper in a secure location, and if the worst happens and you do lose your wallet and need to cancel your cards, the info is right there.

2. Cancel inactive credit card accounts.
Don’t take the risk of someone using your card on an account that you never check.

3. Monitor your credit.
You are allowed by law to get one free credit report per year, but that is not often enough. The best thing is to sign up for a service that monitors your credit constantly and alerts you if someone applies for credit in your name, or if unusual spending patterns appear. Details on such a service appear at the end of this article.

4. Safeguard your personal information.
If you are comfortable with it, get electronic statements rather than paper ones which can be stolen from your physical mailbox. Keep your Social Security Card, bank information, credit card statements and so on, in a safe place, preferably one that can be locked.

5. Buy a decent shredder
Shred all documents that contain personal information. Buy one that can also shred credit cards, as sometimes these come unsolicit

on a photocopier at once, and copy them. Then copy the back side. Keep these two sheets of paper in a secure location, and if the worst happens and you do lose your wallet and need to cancel your cards, the info is right there.

2. Cancel inactive credit card accounts.
Don’t take the risk of someone using your card on an account that you never check.

3. Monitor your credit.
You are allowed by law to get one free credit report per year, but that is not often enough. The best thing is to sign up for a service that monitors your credit constantly and alerts you if someone applies for credit in your name, or if unusual spending patterns appear. Details on such a service appear at the end of this article.

4. Safeguard your personal information.
If you are comfortable with it, get electronic statements rather than paper ones which can be stolen from your physical mailbox. Keep your Social Security Card, bank information, credit card statements and so on, in a safe place, preferably one that can be locked.

5. Buy a decent shredder
Shred all documents that contain personal information. Buy one that can also shred credit cards, as sometimes these come unsolicit

e allowed by law to get one free credit report per year, but that is not often enough. The best thing is to sign up for a service that monitors your credit constantly and alerts you if someone applies for credit in your name, or if unusual spending patterns appear. Details on such a service appear at the end of this article.

4. Safeguard your personal information.
If you are comfortable with it, get electronic statements rather than paper ones which can be stolen from your physical mailbox. Keep your Social Security Card, bank information, credit card statements and so on, in a safe place, preferably one that can be locked.

5. Buy a decent shredder
Shred all documents that contain personal information. Buy one that can also shred credit cards, as sometimes these come unsolicit

it, get electronic statements rather than paper ones which can be stolen from your physical mailbox. Keep your Social Security Card, bank information, credit card statements and so on, in a safe place, preferably one that can be locked.

5. Buy a decent shredder
Shred all documents that contain personal information. Buy one that can also shred credit cards, as sometimes these come unsolicited in the mail, as do “fake” cards that are an offer for credit. Shred them all with a quality, cross-cut shredder.

6. Beware of spoof emails.
Never ever click a link in an email that requests you to confirm personal information like your PIN number, your PayPal log in etc. These are spoofs, and the criminals create a website that looks very much like the genuine article, and as you submit your information, boom, they can then log into your genuine account and make withdrawals or payments to themselves. Only ever go to the website from your own browser favorites link, or by typing in the address yourself (not the one in the email). Never click the link in an email, but instead, forward the email to spoof@[name of organization].com e.g.: spoof@paypal.com

7. Mailbox safety.
Retrieve your mail from your mailbox as promptly as possible. If you are going on vacation, get the post office to put a Vacation Mail Hold, so that it doesn’t pile up and overflow your box. Not only is that an invitation to steal your mail, it also advises burglars that no one is at home.

8. Use strong passwords
Avoid passwords that are easily guessed. Use a combination of letters and numbers and make it as random as you can. Never ever use the name of your spouse, pet, mother’s maiden name or anything like that, which a dedicated thief could probably find out in some way. Memorize your passwords or keep them in a (strong) password protected file on your computer. Don’t write them down.

9. Computer
If you ever sell or donate your computer, make sure the hard drive is wiped absolute