3 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Every day we receive phone calls from consumers across the nation who are in sheer panic mode.  In many cases, they have been alerted that their personal information has been compromised.  Fixing this issue is MUCH more difficult than simply preventing it from happening in the first place.  So with that in mind, we have put together a few helpful and easy-to-follow tips that can protect your very important personal/financial information.

1.  Shred your information.

Do yourself a favor and invest in a quality paper shredder.  You would not believe how many people in this day and age STILL take the old “dumpster diving” to a whole new level.  Shred all credit card statements, banking statements or anything else that pertains your personal information.

2.  Lock your devices and use strong passwords.

Many people write down their passwords or save them in their cell phone.  Both of those ideas are BAD, BAD, BAD.  Whenever possible, use strong passwords and do not share them with anyone.  Fraudsters not only attempt to steal your banking information and financial “goods”… they also can hack your social media accounts, holding personal content hostage in exchange for payment.  Be very careful.

3.  Be very, very leery of public wifi.

There are roaming hackers that will enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee next to you at Starbucks while lurking and waiting for an unsuspecting target to login in to their personal accounts.  Make sure that your network password at home is also locked down and protected.

If you think you have been the victim of identity theft, contact our office for more information and assistance.  If you are one of the lucky folks who has not been compromised, then make every effort possible to keep it that way!