Maintaining your Identity
The issue of identity theft has become a serious concern for all of us. We've all seen those commercials where someone has stolen the credit card of a little old lady, and used it to pay for tattoos and monster trucks, right? Fortunately, most credit card companies are proactive in stopping this type of abuse in its tracks. However, there are other ways your identity can be stolen.
Identity theft involves anyone using your personal information, such as name, date of birth, social security number, address, or other identifying information either for personal gain, or commit some type of crime or fraud.
If your identity is stolen it can cost you a lot of money. In addition, identity theft can affect your credit rating, and even ruin your personal reputation!
There are many steps you can take to prevent identity theft, such as:
Do not give out personal information by phone, mail, or internet unless you are 100% sure you know who you are dealing with.
Guard personal identification carefully (such as Social Security cards, credit cards, and other forms of ID)
Tear or shred any identifying or financial documents prior to disposing of them
Promptly remove mail from your mailbox, and send outgoing mail from a Post Office Mailbox
Be cautious when choosing and using passwords and PIN numbers
For more information on preventing and remedying Identity Theft, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ .