This could be the most important thing you will read this year, so take notes in iShred’s Hints and Tips to Secure Yourself from Identity Theft!
The mistake many people make is assuming that it won’t happen to them. Follow these Hints and Tips to secure Yourself from Identity Theft and make sure that it doesn’t.
While the threat is well publicised, it’s all too easy to become complacent with our personal information both online and on paper. A fraudster needs only a small snippet of personal info on someone to start building a profile. These Hints and Tips to secure Yourself from Identity Theft are easy, everyday steps you can take to reduce the risk substantially.
Lock your letterbox
Mail boxes are a goldmine of information for the criminal who wants to find it. Bank details, replacement cards, household accounts and car registration are just some of the more common details to be found. Ensure your mailbox is secure, check your mail regularly and shred any waste paperwork, preferably by a professional shredding company, such as iShred, to protect privacy.
Avoid Sharing Personal Information Online
With so many websites requesting registration and passwords, people are constantly faced with the dilemma of entering personal information online. When possible, avoid signing up or registering to accounts or mail lists. While it may not be the sites themselves that misuse your information, insufficient security can make it accessible to someone with a bit of know-how.
Use a false date of birth
Although this feels dishonest, in instances where it’s not essential information, provide a false birthday. In many cases it’s simply a method of collecting market data for a company anyway and you are under no obligation to provide a true date. Even social media platforms cannot demand a true birth date so something close enough is fine.
Don’t respond to text messages or emails
It’s a sad fact that scammers are now so talented at imitating large, reputable institutions that it can be hard to decipher between genuine and false message prompts. The best course of action is to avoid responding to any direct request for personal information. Contact the company yourself to verify the request. Most larger companies, such as banks, will notify customers of any recent scams circulating and are very supportive of customers checking the credibility of a message.
These steps are not difficult, although can be easy to ignore or overlook. Make a habit of iShred’s Hints and Tips to secure Yourself from Identity Theft and you will avoid a much larger problem.
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