Top 10 ways to prevent identity theft
67We've all read about it. People who find out mortgages and loans have been taken out in their name without knowing anything about it. Or others who have thousands of dollars racked up on their credit cards by unknown persons. These people have been victims of identity theft. Ten years ago not many people would have heard of identity fraud but these days many experts are saying it's not a matter of if it's a matter of when.
This week (October 2011) Queensland hosted the National Hi-tech and identity symposium. The Conference delegates discussed the latest findings in what is a burgeoning crime across the world. But what can you do to protect yourself? Lets look at some strategies:
10. Have more than one credit card. This is the advice of Detective Hay of Queensland Police who says if you have separate cards for separate things e.g. shopping, travel, online purchases then you are spreading the risk. But make sure your card limits aren't huge.
9. Make sure your computer has the latest viruses and patches to ensure your computer is protected.
8. Never ever send money to organisations or people you don't know or trust. There are so many scams out there, many from African countries but have reached all around the world.
7. Shred personal documents you don't need. These documents are now becoming targets for burglary offenders to use for identity fraud. If you need to keep personal documents make sure they are kept in a well secure hard to find area.
6. Educate vulnerable people. Often scams target the elderly who can lose their life savings in identity fraud scams. Do some online research to educate elderly family and friends and you will be sure to find helpful tips for yourself.
5. Don't click links to banks from your email. Log directly into a website.
4. Be careful with your identification. Don't leave your wallet or purse lying around and make sure you get mail collected if you're going away as identity thieves can use utility bills to steal your identity.
3. Change your passwords on a regular basis. Don't use your name or date of birth for your passwords. These will be the first ones identity thieves will try.
2. If you have cards stolen, cancel them immediately. Australia is very susceptible to credit card fraud so we need to be extra careful. If you have had your cards stolen, call your bank first to cancel them then call police.
1. Don't share too much on social networking sites such as Facebook. Whilst we haven't seen too much identity theft from social networking there are reports coming through of organised crime networks getting into profiles to get the details they need. Always make sure your security settings are tight.
If you're suspicious then contact the right people to double check. It might take a few minutes but it might also save you thousands of dollars.
