I am Me and So is He

With St. Patrick's Day this weekend I could not help but mention it in this post! At first glance a post about identity theft and St. Patrick's day may not appear to fit together. But, in a loose sense "St. Patrick" has been quite the victim of identity theft himself!

You see, he was actually a missionary with Baptistic doctrines who stirred up great revival in Ireland and Great Britain. From what I have read, he was actually rather unpopular with and at times persecuted by the Roman Catholic church (who in the last 150 years have claimed him as one of their own and made him a "Saint") because he preached baptism by immersion only after salvation (i.e. no infant baptism) and other Baptist doctrines in direct opposition to Catholic doctrine. He never claimed to be Catholic at all and his own writings bear witness to his holding Baptistic beliefs.

For him to have been claimed as a Catholic "Saint" and have a holiday named after him that is mainly celebrated by heavy drinking, wearing of green, and a superstitious regard of "lucky" shamrocks (he actually used the three-leaf clover to teach the doctrine of the Trinity), his identity has truly been stolen and remade into something that he himself would not recognize.

And now, I shall disembark my hobby horse and move on to the main part of the post...

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Do you remember those commercials that showed a couple years back? The ones with a creepy man's voice coming out of a little old lady's mouth as she/he discussed the recent fraudulent purchases made on her debit card after her identity was stolen?

Well, identity theft has become an increasingly popular crime. Working in the financial industry I have learned quite a bit about identity theft, methods of prevention, results of/hassle created by it, etc. Though technically a bookkeeper, more than half of my daily job involves working to prevent identity theft and fraud, attempting to catch it early on, and in working with customers to clean up the financial mess created by fraudulent purchases. With the practical experience I have gained, my co-workers jokingly call me the "Fraud Specialist."

Believe me, one little fraudulent purchase on your account can cause hours and hours of work and a major headache for you. With full-blown identity theft, it can take YEARS to repair the damage to your credit. Believe me, you want to do everything possible to avoid going down that path!

That being said here are 15 simple tips that I believe every adult should be aware of and practice consistently.
 

15 Tips for Identity Theft Prevention:

Prevention is the Key

1.       Do not carry your Social Security card, birth certificate, or passport in your wallet or purse except when necessary. Remove them as soon as you get home if you find it necessary to carry them for something specific. Also, limit the number of debit/credit cards you carry, leaving extras in a safe place at home. This practice minimizes the amount of information a thief can steal.

2.       It is also helpful to photocopy all of the documents in your wallet in case of theft. That way, if your wallet is ever stolen, you can quickly retrieve numbers. A list of all your credit cards and debit cards should also be kept in a secure place at home. Be sure to include the numbers you need to call to report a theft; this way, you can quickly call issuers if a credit or debit card is stolen.

3.       You should cancel any inactive credit accounts and limit your total number of credit cards. This will make it easier to keep tabs on all credit activity. Destroy all checks, debit cards, and credit cards upon closing an account to prevent thieves from obtaining the account numbers and running up bills fraudulently.

4.       You should minimize the exposure of your credit and social security numbers. Never put them on checks and never give your social security numbers or account numbers out over the phone, even if you made the call. Identity thieves often place fake calls in an attempt to gather personal information.

5.       Never leave a purse or wallet unattended at work, restaurants, health fitness clubs, parties, shopping carts, or EVEN church. Never leave your purse or wallet in open view in your car, even if your car is locked.

6.       Treat your cell phones, iPads, laptops, etc.  like cash, especially if you have access to your bank accounts on them. Use password protection! Thieves can steal your electronic devices and hack into your online banking, Paypal account, or other financial services/accounts and use them to make fraudulent purchases.

7.       Memorize your personal identification numbers (PINs) so you do not have to write them down.  DO NOT EVER write your PIN on the back of your card or anywhere else in your wallet or purse. Don’t share them with ANYONE, even family members. Never use your SS, DOB, or address as your PIN number, as these are too easy for a thief to guess.

8.       At the ATM, always be aware of your surroundings to make sure no one is watching you input your PIN. Watch for card skimmers; they not only capture your card number, but also your pin which can make proving fraud much more difficult. Try to use familiar machines so you will notice if anything about the machine looks unusual.

9.       Never simply toss credit card receipts in a trashcan, whether in public or at home. Always keep them in a secure place and shred them before tossing out.  Also be sure to shred all junk mail or bills, especially pre-approved credit card approvals, before tossing them out. Shredding will prevent identity thieves from finding confidential information in the trash; identity thieves oftentimes dig through trash to find personal information. These dumpster divers can then use these offers to order credit cards in your name and mail them to their address.

10.   You should always have secure (as in locked) mailboxes, both at work and at home, in order to reduce the likelihood of theft. It is better to have your bank send new checks or debit cards to the bank to be picked up rather than your home address to prevent thieves from snatching them from the mail.

11.   If you do not receive your billing information promptly, notify any companies involved. You should analyze your monthly statements, utility bills, and any subscription bills for any unauthorized changes. Be sure to Balance Your Check Book!

12.   Always request a free yearly credit score from TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. All three are required to give you a free copy once per year, IF you request it. It is recommended that you make a schedule and check one every 4 months to minimize the amount of time in between checks. Each time, be sure to analyze the reports closely for any suspicious or unauthorized activity.

13.   Internet banking can help with security, but only if proper security measures are followed. Install a firewall along with anti-virus and anti-spyware software on all computers. It is essential that all three are kept up-to-date. Also make sure your computer is set to automatically download the latest patches and fixes to help with operating systems security holes (they all have some).  Remember, no Firewall is hacker-proof so still be very cautious with what information you share over a public wi-fi network.

14.   You should not click on links in emails from financial institutions, even if they appear to be legitimate - these emails could be from identity thieves trying to obtain, or "phish" for, confidential information. Instead, go to your browser and type in the domain name of the institution (e.g. www.bankofyourchoice.com or www.paypal.com) and then login to your account.

15.   Make all passwords to financial accounts, computers, wireless connections, emails, etc. complicated enough to discourage hackers. They should always be at LEAST 8 characters long, include both letters and numbers, and include both upper and lower case letters. Memorize them. If you must write them down, do NOT store them at the computer. Areas around the computer (under keyboard, sticky notes, unlocked drawers, etc ) are the first place where thieves will look for those passwords.

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Today's post is #47 and the second post in the contest leading up to post 50! Don't forget to comment here, on Facebook, or "like" on Facebook to receive one entry per blog posts #46-59. (If you missed #46, go back and read it and comment to receive an entry into the drawing.) Another hint about the prize... Since it was in celebration of reaching 1500 page views the prize will be worth $15 "bucks."