I just finished reading “Identity Theft Alert” by Steve Weisman.  It was kind of a crazy read and if you want to make yourself SUPER paranoid, I highly suggest it.  Besides coming to the conclusion that my identity is probably already in the hands of terrorists that are currently building their bank accounts $2.80 at a time, I did learn a few things about preventing identity theft that sort of blew my mind.  I thought I would share.

1. Social Security Number – Limit access to your social security number.  Apparently, your doctor and people like that who ask for your social will often take your driver’s license number instead.  You just have to ask.  They may say they require it, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
2. Unsolicited Calls/Texts/Emails – NEVER give personal information out to someone who calls or emails or texts you- This should be a no brainer, but some of that stuff can look SUPER official. Hang up.  Call a number you are positive is the right number for that company and then move forward.  As women, we are often placed in this position where we want to be polite, and we don’t want to offend people.  This is your life and your identity.  HANG UP ON THAT PERSON no matter how nice or official they sound and find a number you know is official.  If there is a problem, you can take care of it at that point.
3. Passwords – Most common stolen password is “123456”. If this is your password, you should probably change it.  He suggests a phrase “Idn’tlkPswrd” then since you need a new password for every site add something to describe that site.  His example was Amazon.  “Idn’tlkPswrdAm” then add some special characters “Idn’tlkPswrdAm**”  You want it to be at least 14 characters have a mix of upper and lower cases, digits and symbols.
4. Getting off LISTS – This one was my favorite! I hate junk mail/spam emails/calls from people I don’t know, all of that!  He had so many good tips!
   1. Never click “Unsubscribe” or “Remove Me” apparently this does nothing except tell the person that you are an active email address and you will likely get more emails. I am not sure if this is true.  I feel like I have been successfully “Unsubscribed” before, and I promise to unsubscribe you and not sell your info, if you do that on my blog, but it was an interesting point.
   2. Credit Reporting Agencies sell your name and address to businesses that will solicit you. You can call 888-5OPTOUT (567-8688) or optoutprescreen.com.  The number one thing this does is get you off the “pre-approved” credit card list which is particularly dangerous if someone steals your mail.  This only removes you for 5 years, so remember to do it again and again and again.
   3. To reduce Junk Mail, you want off the Direct Marketing Association’s list https://www.dmachoice.org/register.php you will register your name and address and have it placed on a “do not mail” list.
   4. If you bought 1 thing through a catalog, and now you get 8 million catalogs, join the club! Your info was shared through Abacus.  To opt out of their database you must send an email to abacusoptout@epsilon.com.  You need to provide your name, middle initial, current address and request to be removed.
   5. Sign up for the National DO NOT Call Registry 1-888-382-1222 or donotcall.gov to stop getting sales calls.
   6. You do NOT have to fill out those product warranty cards for your warranties! You just need to keep your receipt.  If you do return that card, you will be notified for safety recalls, so you may want to for car seats, cribs, and things like that.  You provide name, address, date of purchase, and the serial number.
5. Pay Attention
   1. Scan your statements (credit card and bank statements) every month to look for discrepancies. Especially your debit card!  If someone steals your credit card, you are only liable for $50, but your debit card, if you catch it in 2 days you are liable up to $50, but then 60 days your part of the liability is up to $500, and after 60 days, you could have to take the ENTIRE LOSS!  Visa and MasterCard Debit Cards are consumer friendly and stick to the $50 like credit cards, but they do not have to.  The law is on the side of the bank.
   2. Review your credit report annually which is free at annualcreditreport.com. Lots of companies say they are free, but are not (*cough* freecreditreport.com *cough* not free *cough*)
   3. Review your medical bills and statements for services you did not receive. I never thought about someone stealing my medical identity, but this is a thing!  Check those statements you receive.
   4. If you don’t get mail for a few days, look into it, call the post office. That is weird.  Mail theft is real and bad.  You can sign up on USPS.com for preview emails of what you should be getting in the mail every day.  It is called the “Informed Delivery Daily Digest.”

This list is far from comprehensive.  These were just some of the things that stood out to me.  The book is 164 pages! Identity theft is a huge problem that has effected millions of people, even Oprah!  In 2017 there were 16.8 million victims reported and probably much higher, if we add in people that haven’t even realized that their identity is stolen yet.  It cost them $16.8 Billion!  These statistics are astounding.

The best thing you can do to protect yourself is freeze your credit.  If you freeze your credit, no one can access it, not even you.  If you know you need to take out a loan, or do something with it, you can unfreeze it for short amounts of time and then re-freeze it, but this is the highest form of protection.  This looks different in each state, but to access how to do this go to http://defendyourdollars.org/document/guide-to-security-freeze-protection.  Your other alternative is a third party to monitor and then repair your credit for example Lifelock.com.  Be safe out there.  There are a LOT of creepsters!