While you may not need to physically chain up your computer to protect yourself from identity theft, the fight against identity theft is becoming stronger, while, at the same time, the rate of such crimes is also increasing. A new type of internet piracy has surfaced in the form of phishing, which means internet pirates are fishing for personal information such as account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers as well as other bits of confidential information. In the fight against identity theft, one must ensure not to provide personal information when replying to unsolicited requests, and not provide passwords over the phone or when replying to unsolicited internet requests. In the fight against identity theft, one should also take care not to click links contained in emails that are of dubious nature as it could contain a virus that would contaminate your computer.

Keep Personal Information Away From Unauthorized Persons

Fight identity theft by not being intimidated by callers or emails that warn of severe consequences if one does not respond immediately and, need to provide personal information. In case one is certain of the identity of the contact, it is advisable to visit their website by typing in their website address rather than clicking on a link contained in their email. You can also fight identity theft by acting immediately on realizing that you have become a victim of identity theft and, place fraud alerts on your credit files as well alert financial institutions and, also monitor your account statements by giving them careful scrutiny. In case you receive suspicious emails or phone calls, you should get in touch with the Federal Trade Commission over the internet or call them directly. They can help alert law enforcement agencies and, get on the trail of the identity thieves.

With the widening spectrum of identity thefts that are believed to be affecting one in every ten Americans, the need to fight identity thefts is becoming more urgent than ever before. In this continuing fight against identity theft, one should pay special attention to old documents such as paid bills, bank statements as also receipts and, either store them safely or, shred them before trashing them.

In case of a change of address, ensure that your bank and utility companies are notified since wrongly sent mail could present an opportunity to fraudsters. Also ensure that accounts that are not required or when one stops using a particular credit card, that these are closed and should not be lying dormant. While fighting identity theft, keep you’re PIN and password safe and, they should be easy to remember and, not be written down on scraps of paper or kept in a wallet or purse from where they may get lost or be stolen.

The fight against identity theft affects everyone and, with proper care and, even though one cannot be 100 percent secure, it will reduce the risk of becoming a victim and, will also make the life of fraudsters that much more difficult. It may mean that they will need to look elsewhere and look for other easier game.

tags: fighting identity theft identity fraud identity theft identity theft prevention online identity theft phishing social security information