Tips for Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft

There are a number of ways to protect identity theft. This doesn't necessarily preclude any annoyingly routine processes or rigid adherence to daily monitoring; on the contrary, there are a number of ways to easily and effectively protect yourself without any major changes in your daily routine.

A little common sense and practical knowledge can go a long ways towards ensuring that your identity remains yours and yours alone. From physical bank statements to online accounts, here is a breakdown of the best ways to protect against identity theft.

Check your bank statement and credit card statement each month; this is one of the best ways to identify any suspicious activity and take steps to prevent it from getting worse.

Shred or cut up any junk mail or other correspondence you get in the mail before tossing it into the trash. This is especially important with any bank, credit card, or phone statements.

Reduce the amount of physical mail in which you send or receive financial documents like checks. It is a good idea to always mail any correspondence from the post office or post office drop boxes located around your town. This makes mail much harder to steal and more secure.

Never give your information out if you don't need to do so. This includes requests from unknown companies, telemarketers, door-to-door salesmen, or any other entity that asks for your information, but doesn't need it for any other use except for promotions, surveys, sweepstakes, etc.

If you're in a public place making a secure transaction over the phone, always use the touch pad and never the voice recognition system.

If you get a phone call from any entity, including a financial institution, asking for personal information, always verify the company. If you're asked to verify an account or to get any financial or personal details, politely tell them you will call the institution yourself and give them the information. Don't take any number they give you; look it up yourself. You can then call the financial institution yourself and double check to see if any activity regarding your account is legitimate. Always do this, even if you're reasonably sure it's legitimate. This also extends to your phone company.

Never order checks with your driver's license number or social security number. This immediately protects your most secure information.

Unless you're applying for a job, a passport, or any other specific reason, don't carry your security card or any other important document on your person. The possibility of loss or theft is good, so avoid this when you can.

Don't give out your social security number if you're not required to do so by law. This is especially important as it is one of your most important pieces of personal information.

If you're creating an online account, use secure passwords and always have a password for your security questions. If you choose 'father's name," for example, don't actually use your father's name; use a different password and write it down at home. Secure passwords should always include numbers and letters. Refrain from anything using date of birth, phone number, or your actual name.

If you're shopping online, make sure the vendor is secure (this will usually entail a secure symbol somewhere on the page, such as VeriSign). Also ensure that you log out every time you leave a website. Most automatically log you out after several minutes, but don't take a chance.