You probably have any number of items keeping you awake at night from time to time.
Whether it is your job, money issues, difficult matters involving family or friends, the list can quickly grow.
That said do you ever stop to worry about becoming the next identity theft victim? If not, maybe you should think about doing just that, yes?
While identity theft can come in all shapes and sizes, it is oftentimes the small business owner or the unsuspecting consumer who end up paying the most.
For both, they typically think that they are safe, figuring it is just the big business owners and higher-profiled individuals being targeted.
If you want to sleep a little better at night, make sure you are doing all you can to thwart an identity theft attack against your financial interests.
Taking the Fight to I.D. Theft Thieves
So that you can do your best in staying one step ahead of identity theft criminals, put these pointers to use:
- Don’t volunteer personal financial information – Avoid making the big mistake of volunteering personal financial details to anyone in public or online. Even though most people know not to do something as silly as that, you might be surprised at what some will do. Never share personal details about your banking account/s, Social Security information, credit or debit cards, retirement funds etc. If you get a call or email requesting pertinent financial data, review it carefully. In many instances, it is simply a scam. Unfortunately, some unsuspecting folks will fall for such scams, leaving them in the lurch when it comes to their financial well-being;
- Protect yourself with a sound provider – Another important key in staying safe is having an identity theft protection provider covering you. In order to get good ID protection, you should shop around and be selective in your final choice. While there are various identity theft protection providers out there, which one is truly best suited to meet your needs? In your search, see how long each company has been in business, what product or products they offer and their costs, how their level of customer service stacks up against other brands, and what kind of feedback they receive from consumers. The last item is especially important; given customers have the best take on if a product or service truly does what it says it will in advertisements;
- Education never hurts – Even though you likely have a busy schedule, it is important to be up to speed on all the intricacies of identity theft. Where is it most likely to happen? How often does it happen? What is the typical profile of a victim? Is there an increase or decrease as of late in identity theft? Knowing all or even some of the answers to those and other pertinent questions can help you in better protecting yourself, allowing you to avoid becoming a victim. There are plenty of resources online you can turn to in order to find out such information. From identity theft protection provider websites to blogs written by experts in the I.D. theft field, always do your best to educate yourself, allowing you to be cognizant of what is going on in this area of life;
- Secure your electronic items – Lastly, just how secure are your electronic items you use on a daily basis to conduct business, be it personal or professional? One area of concern should be when you are traveling, be it for work or personal enjoyment. If you use your laptop on the road or a hotel-based computer, how confident are you that the server is totally secure? While it very well may be, don’t take the chance of doing personal online banking and other such pertinent matters if you don’t feel 100 percent sure the devices are secure. Even though not doing the task at hand may put you behind a little bit in your schedule, better to err on the side of caution and do the task or tasks when you are sure you have a secure server.
While death and taxes have always been mentioned as the only two definite things in life, you can have relative security from identity theft thieves if you have a strategy in place.
So, will you sleep better tonight not worrying about identity theft?