A victim of identity theft spends about 600 hours trying to
clear their identity. This means obtaining affidavits and reports that prove
the theft, finding out what has been compromised, and working to retrieve their
identity. That is a lot of time to spend on a crime that you have fallen victim
to. Unfortunately, you cannot protect yourself 100% against identity theft.
Fortunately, there are ways for you to reduce your risk by acting right away
when your personal information has been compromised. So how do you improve your
information security?
Place Fraud Alert
Place a fraud alert on your credit report by getting in
touch with three credit bureaus. A fraud alert will last from 90 days to seven
years and will notify businesses to take additional steps to confirm your
identity once actions are taken on your credit.
Credit Report Security Freeze
A security freeze goes
a step further than a fraud alert as it requires a PIN or password before a
company can check your credit report. Compared to a fraud alert, there is a fee
to place a security freeze on your credit report unless you are already a
victim of identity theft.
Get Your Free Credit Reports
Every year, you are entitled to a single free credit report
from every one of the three credit bureaus. By getting one of these reports
once every four months, you could monitor your credit throughout the year. The
only disadvantage is that you could only obtain one report from the bureau at a
time. Therefore, when the identity theft does not appear on all three of the
reports, you may miss it for a year.
Purchase Credit Reports
If you have used up your annual credit reports, you could
always buy one for a minimum of $11 (Equifax)
or all three for a minimum of $15 from TrueCredit.com. You might be able to
obtain a free credit report when you subscribe to a credit monitoring service.
Be sure that you cancel the credit monitoring service before the trial is up so
that you won’t get charged.
Check Your Accounts Online
When your bank lets you view your accounts online, then sign
up. Once done, log in so you can check your account on a regular basis to
ensure that there are no unauthorized charges were made on your account. Protect
your login information. Avoid writing it down and don’t tell your log in
details to anyone.
Enrol In Credit Monitoring
Although it is not recommended due to the high costs
compared to the alternatives, credit monitoring is one good way of detecting
identity theft. Compare to the cost of a few credit monitoring services to the
price of ordering your credit report, and you will find that purchasing a few
credit reports a year could be cheaper. If you decide to enrol in a credit monitoring
program, be sure to do your research well.
Keep Your Social Security Number Safe
Your social security
number could be lethal to your credit if this sensitive information gets in
the wrong hands. Don’t carry our social security card in your wallet. Do not
write the number down. Don’t forget to be cautious especially when you are
giving your number to a customer service representative.
Get Your Check Order
Another method for thieves to take your identity is through
stolen checks. With your checking and routing account number, a thief could
make new checks and use them to buy things. If you order new checks, get them
from the bank instead of having it mailed to your house.
Stop Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers
All of those preapproved credit card offers contain some of
your personal information
on them. Thieves are known to utilize these offers to obtain credit cards on
the name of the victim. Shred all the credit card offers before you throw them
away. Or opt out immediately so you can stop them right away.
Pay Your Bills Online
When you mail bills, you are making it easy for thieves to
steal your identity. Several banks now offer online bill pay. This is a much
better alternative to sending your bills from an unsecured post office box.
Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you want to make sure that your personal information are
secure from various kinds of online threats.
SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com
Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto
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