Getting your identity stolen can be a nightmare. This isn’t new news – we’ve all heard it a thousand times. But in spite of knowing this, too few of us actually do enough to protect ourselves. According to the most recent statistics from the Federal Trade Commission, 8.3 million adults (3.7% of all American adults) were victims of identity theft in 2005. So, here is a quick reminder of some very easy things you should do to keep your identity your own:
1. Protect your Social Security Number.
Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet and don’t give it to anyone if it’s not completely necessary. When a company requests your SSN, ask them what they need it for and if there is an alternative form of identification you can provide them such as your drivers license number. Keep in mind, you generally don’t have to legally provide your SSN. That said, companies are free to refuse your business if you do not hand it over.
2. Create tricky passwords
It may be easy to make your birthday or your street name your password, but that means it’s also easy for other people (or computer programs) to figure it out. So, create passwords that use combinations of lowercase and capital letters, numbers and symbols.
3. Shred your documents
Of course it’s best to go buy a shredder (especially a cross cut shredder), but if you’re not going to do that, at least cut (or rip) up any statements with personal information on them into tiny pieces before you throw them into the trash. This includes all of those credit card solicitations you get in the mail as thieves can retrieve those and fill them out in your name. It’s also a good idea to request that the major credit bureaus take your name off of lists of pre-approved credit offers that they sell to marketers as this will reduce the number of those offers you receive in the mail. You can do that by calling 888-567-8688.
4. Mail your bills at the post office
While the convenience of mailing your bills from your own mailbox is a draw, it’s easy for thieves to simply reach in, steal your bills and get hold of all of that personal information. So, take the extra step of dropping off your bills at the post office or in a secure mailbox.
5. Don't forget your kids!
Your children’s identities can be stolen just as easily as yours so protect their social security number and personal information as you do your own.
If you believe you’ve been the victim of identity theft, Linda Foley, the founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center says you should immediately place a fraud alert at the three major credit bureaus (www.equifax.com, www.experian.com, and www.transunion.com) as well as cancel any accounts such as credit card accounts that have been effected.
JJ Ramberg is the host of MSNBC's new small business show, “Your Business.” Before joining MSNBC, Ramberg was a reporter at CNN. Her extensive field experience includes reporting from Biloxi, Miss., and New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. She also hosted the daytime talk program “The Flipside” on CNNfn and was a producer on CNN’s profile program “Pinnacle.” She began her television career at NBC News, where she was an associate producer at “Dateline NBC.” Ramberg is passionate about small business and has firsthand experience as an entrepreneur herself. With her brother, she co-founded GoodSearch.com, a search engine that donates 50 percent of revenue to the charities and schools its users designate. Ramberg is also a contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine and she writes a financial column for Cookie Magazine, Conde Nasts’ parenting magazine. Ramberg graduated cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and received her MBA from Stanford Business School.
1. Protect your Social Security Number.
Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet and don’t give it to anyone if it’s not completely necessary. When a company requests your SSN, ask them what they need it for and if there is an alternative form of identification you can provide them such as your drivers license number. Keep in mind, you generally don’t have to legally provide your SSN. That said, companies are free to refuse your business if you do not hand it over.
2. Create tricky passwords
It may be easy to make your birthday or your street name your password, but that means it’s also easy for other people (or computer programs) to figure it out. So, create passwords that use combinations of lowercase and capital letters, numbers and symbols.
3. Shred your documents
Of course it’s best to go buy a shredder (especially a cross cut shredder), but if you’re not going to do that, at least cut (or rip) up any statements with personal information on them into tiny pieces before you throw them into the trash. This includes all of those credit card solicitations you get in the mail as thieves can retrieve those and fill them out in your name. It’s also a good idea to request that the major credit bureaus take your name off of lists of pre-approved credit offers that they sell to marketers as this will reduce the number of those offers you receive in the mail. You can do that by calling 888-567-8688.
4. Mail your bills at the post office
While the convenience of mailing your bills from your own mailbox is a draw, it’s easy for thieves to simply reach in, steal your bills and get hold of all of that personal information. So, take the extra step of dropping off your bills at the post office or in a secure mailbox.
5. Don't forget your kids!
Your children’s identities can be stolen just as easily as yours so protect their social security number and personal information as you do your own.
If you believe you’ve been the victim of identity theft, Linda Foley, the founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center says you should immediately place a fraud alert at the three major credit bureaus (www.equifax.com, www.experian.com, and www.transunion.com) as well as cancel any accounts such as credit card accounts that have been effected.
JJ Ramberg is the host of MSNBC's new small business show, “Your Business.” Before joining MSNBC, Ramberg was a reporter at CNN. Her extensive field experience includes reporting from Biloxi, Miss., and New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. She also hosted the daytime talk program “The Flipside” on CNNfn and was a producer on CNN’s profile program “Pinnacle.” She began her television career at NBC News, where she was an associate producer at “Dateline NBC.” Ramberg is passionate about small business and has firsthand experience as an entrepreneur herself. With her brother, she co-founded GoodSearch.com, a search engine that donates 50 percent of revenue to the charities and schools its users designate. Ramberg is also a contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine and she writes a financial column for Cookie Magazine, Conde Nasts’ parenting magazine. Ramberg graduated cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and received her MBA from Stanford Business School.