Identity theft is a serious crime that can have devastating consequences. To protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft, it is important to take steps to secure your personal information. The most important step you should take is to ensure that your sensitive information is secure, whether on paper, online, or online. A good way to prevent an identity thief from accessing your data is to mix up your passwords and use a unique one for each account.
Don't include your name in any password or your date of birth, and change it every time you suspect that an account is at risk. Keep your financial records, your Social Security and Medicare cards, and any other documents that contain personal information in a safe place. Identity theft is any type of deception, scam, or crime that causes the loss of personal data, including the loss of usernames, passwords, bank information, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and health IDs, which are then used without your permission to commit fraud and other crimes. You need passwords that are long (more than 10 characters) that are strong (use upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols) and that have nothing to do with your personal information (such as name, age, date of birth, pet). As you take steps to protect your information and identity, you'll become a more difficult target for thieves and may even stop them. While you control your credit, protect your devices and accounts, avoid identity theft and other scams, and keep your documents out of the wrong hands, you can sleep better knowing that your information is safe.
One of the most effective ways to protect yourself against identity theft is to monitor your credit reports and account statements to detect and report unauthorized activity.
