Identity Crisis: Strategic Defense

Every 79 seconds someone, somewhere, is a victim of identity theft. One in 26 people will experience identity theft in their lifetime, make sure it's not you.

By James Schmidt, Esq.
Published: Dec 01, 2007

Victims of the stolen identity epidemic are the number one source of consumer complaints, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Be proactive and protect yourself by following a few simple steps:

1. Guard Your Social Security Number
Never carry your Social Security Card in your wallet or purse, keep it at home. Don’t imprint your SSN on your checks. When asked to provide your SSN, always ask why and how the number will be used.

2. Buy a Cross-Cut Paper Shredder
Only $60-70, this is a smart investment in protecting yourself against dumpster-divers. Shred pre-approved credit card applications, credit card statements, credit card receipts, and any important papers and documents with your private information on it. This will also make for easy recycling!

3. Keep Credit Cards Personal and Checks Impersonal
Order credit card and ATM Cards with your picture on them. But checks should have as little information as possible; do not write or print your phone number or social security number on any checks.

4. Order Your Credit Report
According to the FTC it takes an average of 12 months from the date an identity theft occurs until the victim notices. So make sure you review your credit reports at least once a year.

5. Be Conscious of “Shoulder Surfers”
Make sure no one is peeking over your shoulder while you enter your pin number at one of the many places we enter this number these days! With a pin number, someone could more easily access your bank accounts.

6. Be a Smart E-Shopper
Do not enter your credit card number on the Internet unless the site is secure and encrypted. The surefire way to tell if a site is encrypted is that once you come to the “checkout” page, the beginning of the URL will read "https" instead of “http”.

7. Review Your Financial Records
Check your bank and credit card statements, always looking for what should be there and what shouldn't. Retain all checks and statements for at least one year in case you need to dispute any transactions - especially if they purport to bear your signatures.

For more information and resources on Identity Theft visit the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov