Chances are you, or someone you know, has been the victim of identity theft. A study released earlier this year by Javelin Strategy & Research reported 12.6 million victims of identity fraud in 2012, an increase of one million from the year before, resulting in more than $21 billion lost.
This time of year our personal information is particularly at risk as we swipe our credit cards and give up our digits online at an increased pace. The process required to resolve the pinching of personal information is arduous and time consuming. Taking some simple steps to protect your valuable information can help you avoid headaches and disruption later. Here is some great advice offered by the Federal Trade Commission:
*If you shop online, use websites that protect your financial information with encryption. An encrypted site has “https” at the beginning of the web address; “s” is for secure.
*Don’t respond to email, text and phone messages that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies don’t ask for information this way.
*Create passwords that mix letters, numbers and special characters. Don’t use the same password for more than one account.
*Read your bank, credit card and medical benefits account statements carefully.
*Shred all documents that show personal, financial and medical information before you throw them away. (Identity thieves do go through trashcans and dumpsters!)
*Use anti-virus and anti-spy software, and a firewall on your computer.
*Read your credit reports. You have a right to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit-reporting companies.
You can find more resources at ftc.gov/idtheft, including information on specific kinds of identity theft like child identity theft, tax-related identity theft, and medical identity theft.
