It only takes a second!

Every day in the media we hear about the latest movie star happenings, financial ups and downs, and natural disasters. One thing the media is now focusing on is something that not enough people are paying attention to, security. It seems like there are more websites and news related articles devoted to identity theft and how to prevent it today then there were five years ago, and I think media has a point. In today’s society, an identity theft is something we all hear about, but until it happens to us, it does not sound all that serious. The problem is that all it takes these days is a little information for someone to open an account, get a credit card, or buy several costly items. Your name and social security number are the easiest targets, since once someone has your social security number; they can do almost anything, from destroying your credit score, to buying a house. Another problem is stolen ID, since with an ID identity thieves can commit tax return fraud and open new bank accounts among countless other crimes.

There are many resources out there for thieves to steal our identity, but fortunately for us, there are also many resources for us to defend ourselves with. One of the strongest weapons we can use against identity thieves is knowing what they are looking for; this can help you remember the importance of not letting certain information fall into the wrong hands. Taking simple steps like committing your social security number to memory rather than carrying it around with you can save countless time and money, not to mention worry, if you lose or misplace your wallet.

Other things you can do include:

Not carrying around passwords- one password gives thieves access to any number of personal records, since most people will use the same password for everything, from email, to social networking sites and bank accounts.

Blank checks- often we see women with big purses, it only takes one lost check for a thief to cause damage. A solution for this is only carrying around only the number of checks you are going to need that day, plus maybe one extra.

Multiple Credit cards- some people have as many as five or six credit cards in one wallet or purse. Try carrying around only one or two, maybe use one only for food, and the other only for gas, and next week rotate, this enables you to keep track of what was spent where, and carrying around more cards just means having to cancel more cards if your wallet or purse does get stolen.

Receipts- who does not carry around at least one receipt? But thieves can be clever, using the info like the last few digits of your credit card number to find out more info, and possibly learn those other digits. A good solution is to empty out your purse or wallet at the end of every day, make a copy of the receipts you need to keep, and destroy those you don’t want or need.

According to Emily Inverso, in “8 Things not to keep in your wallet” receipts can be just as useful for a thief as your passwords or mother’s maiden name. Emily writes that a good method for keeping your receipt info out of the hands of thieves is “Clear those receipts out each night, shredding the ones you don’t need. But for receipts you save, keep them safe by going digital. Apps such as Lemon and Shoeboxed create and categorize digital copies of your receipts and business cards.

Remember that we live in an age of technology; nothing out there is unavailable for someone who has the right resources or access to the right information, being a little more careful with what we do with our personal information can ultimately save us more than just money, it can save us our peace of mind.