7 Proven Ways To Prevent Identity Theft
Identity theft is when someone uses your data to impersonate you, commonly used for their financial gain. In this article you will learn the 7 proven ways to prevent identity theft.
Once they break into your email account they will send phishing spam emails to everyone on your contact list. They will steal your bank credentials and drain your account balance. Your Social Security number and your credit card, cell phone, and other accounts in your name might be swiped by them. All these crimes are considered Identity theft. It is a growing phenomenon.
There were 4.8 million identity theft and fraud reports received by the FTC in 2020, up 45 percent in 2019, mostly due to the 113 percent increase in identity theft complaints. 1.4 million complaints were for identity theft in 2020.
As the current trends are continuing, ID theft protection is only going to become essential.
Scammers take advantage of whatever opportunity they can, including the COVID-19 crisis. Your information may be exposed due to these frequent data breaches.
At this time, it’s smart to take steps to prevent these malicious actors from stealing your personal information and ruining your financial life.
Here are my recommendations of what you need to know to reduce the chances you’ll be a target. This will help you to spot warning signs and take quick action to minimize damage. There are 7 things you can do to make it much harder for identity thieves.
7 ways to prevent identity theft:
1. Safeguard your Social Security number
Your Social Security number is the master key to your data. Protect it as best as much as you can. Dont provide your number unless you know the genuine reason. Shred paperwork containing your Social Security number and securely store.
2. Be alert to phishing and spoofing
Scammers can make phone calls appear to come from banks, government entities, or businesses, and emails that appear to be legitimate may be attempts to steal your information. Rather than responding to an email or call, initiate a return email or callback yourself, working from a known entity such as the official website. And be wary of attachments, which may contain malware.
- The Best 5 Antivirus for 2021
- Report Traffic Incidents on Google map
- Importance of staying safe online — 8 Must Know Tips
- Cryptocurrency — The basics
- How to Set Up a Strong Password
3. Use strong passwords and add an authentication step
Don’t ever reuse passwords. Don’t rely on security questions to keep your accounts safe; your car brand and your mother’s name. aren’t hard to find. Use a password manager to create and store unique passwords for your accounts. Read my article about creating a storng password.
1Password is one of the better password managers out there thanks to its excellent security.
