How to Prevent Being a Victim of Idenity Theft

Unfortunately, identity theft is too common in today's world. It's hard to trust anyone nowadays. According to Javelin Strategy and Research, 9.3 million people were victims of identity theft in just one year. Don't let yourself be included in this statistic. Prevent ID theft by following these recommendations.

Never use the same password for more than one site. Once a thief gets one password, they might try to use it for all of your accounts. Unfortunately, if you use the same password for all of your accounts and websites, the thief is going to gain access to your information.

Don't use your main e-mail address or user ID in any blog, chat room, forum or group. This is a good way for scammers to get your e-mail address and send you spoof e-mails. Use an alternate e-mail, or just make up another name for these situations.

Always look for the gold padlock in the lower right hand corner of your browser window, and/or in the URL address bar. Most times, the address will be highlighted in yellow as well. All banks and legitimate websites asking for information will have this padlock icon. This means that the website is secure and private. If ever you come across a website asking for information without that padlock, I would question its security and privacy.

Disable Javascript when on bank websites or other personal account sites, like PayPal, Ebay or your e-mail. Also, never stay logged in to any website that includes your personal information. It's not necessary to remain logged into your PNC Bank account for 4 hours at a time. Make sure you sign out when you leave the site.

Shred any unwanted credit offers or bank statements that you receive in the mail before throwing them away. "Dumpster diving" is a popular way for ID thieves to get your personal information.

Never carry your social security card around with you in your wallet, unless you need it for that day. If you're wallet is stolen, and your SS card is in there with it, you may be in trouble, because it's not a card you can cancel, like your credit cards. Also, I don't recommend carrying your checks around with you. Anybody could steal your checkbook, write checks out in their name, forge them with your signature, and cash them. Use a secure debit card instead.

Don't put outgoing mail into your mailbox with the red flag up. This alerts thieves that the mail is available for stealing. Drop the mail off inside the post office instead.

Update or install anti-virus and spy-ware software on your computer. Reputable companies include Norton, McAfee and Ad-Aware.

Use caution when using your credit or debit card at a restaurant.

Never give out personal information, like your social security number, over the phone unless you have made the phone call to the company yourself. If a company calls you and asks for information, ask them if you can call them back. Make sure you are dealing with the actual company, and not a thief or scam artist.

Don't donate or sell your computer without first destroying any information that could be on your hard drive. If you are deciding to get rid of your computer, use a good program that will write over your hard drive contents, making it impossible for other people to access your personal info.

DO NOT trust anyone! By this I mean, don't give passwords out to friends or family, don't share your PIN number, and don't let strangers in your house when you're not home, even if it's for home improvement work or housekeeping. You cannot trust anyone in this world. It can be scary, but it's better to be safe than sorry.