Identity. It’s who we are. But what if it gets in the wrong hands? Crooks can create the illusion that they are you and wreak havoc on your finances. Their crime will leave your credit history and reputation in pieces.
How does it happen? To put it simply, it’s from stealing. Items like laptops and phones provide plenty of info for identity theft. Even your mail can contain enough information for someone to impersonate you. “Women living alone should not use prefixes ‘Ms.,’ ‘Miss,’ or ‘Mrs.’ on their doors or mailboxes,” says Officer Novak from Chatham Public Safety. “Instead, use the first initial or last name.”
To combat this, you need to secure and safeguard your information. Here are some quick tips:
- Never give out your pin or password(s)
- Change password(s) regularly
- Always check your credit card and bank statements
- Shred receipts, bank statements, etc. when you don’t need them
- Put a firewall and an anti-virus software on your computer
- Don’t over-share on social networking sites
More than 14 million Americans reported being victims of identity theft in 2006. Don’t let it happen to you. Take the next step.
Chatham will have a crime prevention class on preventing ID theft on Friday, January 10th at 1:00pm in the PCW Room.