There are a many simple and easy ways to protect your entire family from one of the fastest growing crimes. Identity Theft! This new and rising crime spree has affected over 27 million American people in the last five years. These thieves do not care how old you are, what you do for a living, what your religion is, the lasting negative impact on you and or your family or even what your name is. All they want from you is your credit and that is something worth protecting. The following are a few easy steps you can follow to help protect not only yourself but also those you love.
-Shred all old bills, credit card applications, medical files, and any other documents that contain personal identity information. Teach your children to do the same.
-Leave important documents at home. If you do not need your social security card, birth certificate, passport, extra check books or credit cards every day leave them at home. You do not want to make it easier for them.
-Check all members of the family credit annually. Thieves do not how old or young you are. Make sure to check everyone’s credit. It is better to find the problem early than to try and fix it years later.
-Be careful who you give your personal information to. Do not give any information to anybody over the phone (i.e. telemarketers) unless you are the one that initiates the phone call. This includes minors in the household as well as adults.
-Talk to your kids, especially if they are about to leave for college, about how to protect themselves while they are out on their own. Remind them to keep personal information locked up, never loan out credit cards, IDs, driver license or anything else that can contain personal information. Not to have these items lying around, and remind them to that shredding document works everywhere.
-Have children that are going away to school use the home address as their permanent one. This will help you keep track if they start getting new credit card bills or notices that do not look familiar.
-When sending a child to school think about getting them a pre-paid credit card or one with a low balance that will make identity theft less likely. Never send them with a Debit card.
-Provide your college student with a lock box that can be used to keep their social security card, extra credit cards and their laptop in when they are not needed. This will help them stay safe while they are away from home.
By using these few simple steps you can protect not only yourself but also those dearest to you.