How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft?

Identity theft is a type of offense in which personal and financial information about an individual is acquired and used without their knowledge. In most cases, the perpetrator acquires this information via non-physical means such as hacking, phishing, or other scams. The information may be used for criminal purposes. It normally affects people in high-income professions who have bank accounts, credit cards, and other assets. It is important to keep your personal information private. Tips To Protect Yourself From Cyberstalking

What is Identity theft?

To protect yourself from identity theft, you have to protect your personal information. Identity thieves can use your personal information to open new accounts in your name. They may also use it for other purposes like credit card fraud, medical fraud, and computer fraud.

What is meant by identity theft?

Identity theft is a crime where someone steals your sensitive information like name, social security number, address, mother’s maiden name, etc, and uses it without your permission. A thief may use this information to apply for credit cards and loans in your name. They may also try to create an entirely fake identity using this information. A thief may misrepresent themselves as a friend, relative, or even a trusted business partner to get your personal information.

Some Ways to protect yourself from identity Theft:

1. Password-protect your devices:

Most people use their smart devices like Smartphones, iPads, Laptops, or PC to access their social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, etc., and to shop online. These devices can be hacked by anyone who might try to get your sensitive information. Store all your financial information on a password-protected device is a good way to keep your personal information secure.

2. Check your credit report often:

Criminals now use stolen personal information to apply for credit cards and loans in the victim’s name. Checking your credit report at least once a year is a good way to make sure this isn’t happening to you.

3. Use a password manager:

There are a lot of password managers available in the market to simplify password management. These password managers save your passwords in the cloud and thus makes it a lot harder for hackers to steal your information.

4. Shred any important documents:

If someone does manage to get your sensitive information, you may want to shred the documents that might be helpful for them later on.

5. Edit your financial statements:

Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in your bank statements or credit card statements – the number of charges, recurring bills, or purchases that seem very high compared with what you normally spend or do. You should take a closer look at any suspicious charges – they might be identity theft related. 

6. Regularly check your credit reports: 

Credit reports and monitoring credit reports help you in keeping a track of your credit rating. If you have seen any other sensitive personal information in your credit report, you should share this information with the credit bureaus immediately. 

7. Monitor your accounts:

Monitor your banking accounts and credit card statements regularly. If you have seen any suspicious charges on your accounts, you should report them immediately. 

8. Use strong passwords: 

Passwords provide the first line of defense in keeping your sensitive information secure. Make sure you use a strong password that is hard to guess and is also different for all your online accounts and physical access to sensitive information. You should always use unique passwords which are not easily available on search engines like Google or Bing.

9. Protect yourself online:

Use strong passwords for all your online accounts. Use different passwords for bank accounts, credit cards, and webmail accounts. Use a security program to check if anyone has obtained any sensitive information of yours, in the form of unauthorized charges, scams or hacks, etc.

10. Be aware while clicking links: 

Don’t just click on posted links without verifying if they are legit or not and even if they are legit – make sure that you delete them immediately and also report them for fraud. Also don’t open any suspicious emails or attachments sent in emails.

Why should you protect yourself from identity Theft?

If anyone has access to your sensitive information, they can use it to open credit cards or take loans in your name. In case they are able to obtain a loan or credit card in your name, they will be able to run up huge debts in your name. It may even affect the credit rating of your family members who use the same credit card or loan as you do. 

If someone steals your confidential information, they can also try to open new bank accounts as well as other accounts in your name. The most important reason to secure this sensitive information is to protect yourself from identity theft. It is tough to repair credit once it has been damaged by identity theft.

How should you protect yourself from identity Theft?

Identity theft can be difficult to clear up and completely resolve, but there are some steps that you can take to minimize the damage. Suppose someone steals your identity and opens bank accounts, credit cards, and loans under false names using it. The first thing that you should do is change the passwords of your social media accounts, email, and other online accounts.  You should also monitor all your accounts and balance statements regularly. 

If you find any suspicious activity on your bank account or credit card statement, you should immediately report them to the concerned authorities. If you suspect that someone is using your identity for anything illegal, contact local law enforcement immediately. Many police departments have dedicated task forces that deal with these types of cases.

Final Verdict:

Identity theft is a common problem these days. There are many ways that can be used to steal your identity and take advantage of you. This article has listed some best ways to protect yourself from identity theft. Identity theft can happen to anyone, even if you are careful about such things as keeping your password in a safe place and protecting your internet accounts from online threats.