How to Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft nowdays is one of the most popular crimes in the world.
It refers to using any individuals identity with aim to steal money or get other benefits. The criminal poses as a person whose identity he has stolen to hoodwink the concerned authorities. Financial identity theft is the most common type of identity theft as a lot of money can be stolen that way. However there are other types of identity thefts also like criminal identity theft where someone passes off as another person when apprehended for a crime. Then there is identity cloning where a person passes off as another person in everyday life and also business identity where information is used falsely to obtain credit.

The best example of identity theft today is getting fraudulent emails on your computer. You may find an email saying that all the records of the credit card company are being updated and so it is necessary to provide all your personal details as well as your credit card number. Once you provide the number and all personal details your credit card will be misused by making online purchases in your name.

There are other ways also of using your identity for fraudulent activities. A person may make use of information that he finds on documents that you have dumped in the garbage. Some people also steal your identity cards or use your identity cards when you have misplaced them somewhere and start shopping in your name. By the time you realize the fraud it might be too late. A person may also eavesdrop and hear and misuse crucial information that he has heard from you.

Nowadays stealing information from the computer occurs on a large scale. Trojans on the internet are able to track down your surfing habits as well as get access to the personal and confidential information that you have stored on the computer. Identity theft has become common in organizations as well where the person will search the databases on computer system containing confidential information.

Identity theft can be brought under control y following important steps that we discuss. In terms of internet identity theft you should never reply to any email asking for your personal information. Always go to the official site of the bank or credit card company to provide or change any information. When using credit card at stores see to it the card is swiped through the correct device for payment. Always store information of all credit cards at one location which is secure. Try to use credit cards instead of debit cards for shopping. Never give out your password, pin number etc over the phone unless you know you are talking with an authorized person from the company.

Always dispose your credit card by cutting it into pieces. Always check your monthly credit card statements so that you can note down any unauthorized purchases that have been made. You can also make use of credit monitoring facilities where you are notified instantly if any purchase is made from your credit card. In case of creating passwords see to it that they are not commonly used words like your name. Use a mixture of numbers and characters. Try to memorize all your passwords instead of writing them down on paper and putting it in your wallet. Always tear paper containing information in pieces if you don’t need anymore. In organizations you can make use of a shredder. Keep the antivirus program in your computer updated so as to detect and destroy all trojans and viruses.