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Identity Theft Prevention Tactics You Can Use Today
By: Jay Anderson
With more than 10 million Americans becoming the victim of identity theft, it is time that we begin to take identity theft prevention more seriously. It is much easier to take measures to prevent the crime in the first place then it is to clean up the mess these thieves leave behind.
The average victim of identity theft can expect to pay at least $500 to try and correct the problems that will result. You can also expect to spend a minimum of 60 hours making phone calls, writing letters, and sending faxes to try and prove that it was not you that made the charges on the accounts affected. These thieves have become more creative so you must become more educated about the best identity theft prevention measures available.
One of the simplest and yet most effective things you can do is to shred all mail that comes into your house. That means the credit card offers, the mortgage offers, the refinance offers, all of it that you did not request. Get a shredder with "cross-cut" shredding which makes it almost impossible for a dumpster-diving thief to piece it all back together again. Also look in magazines, since the magazine address label contains information about you, and many times magazines have pre-printed forms inside with your personal data on it, as a convenience in case you wish to order something.
The government has become aware of the prevalence and severity of this crime and has implemented some legislation aimed at identity theft prevention. The first thing is allowing you to get a free credit report once a year from each of the credit bureaus so that you can see activity on your account and identify activity that should not be there.
The credit reporting companies have also gotten into the act to help you prevent this crime. One way is to send them an "opt-out" which means that you no longer want any banks or financial institutions to mail you offers, even if you qualify. This is a great idea, especially because you may be tempted to sign up for what may appear to be great offers and then find yourself with financial problems due to over-extending yourself.
The credit reporting agencies now will permit you to put a credit freeze on your account with them. The benefit of this is that nobody can run a credit report on you unless they have your express permission to do so. Obtaining that permission is designed to be a somewhat complex and cumbersome process. This will deter most identity thieves since there are so many other targets out there who are much easier victims.
You may also wish to consider identity theft protection services. These companies provide various levels of service, usually including a constant monitoring of your credit reports and notifying you whenever there are any changes. Such companies charge a monthly fee, but for the peace of mind and sometimes a very solid guarantee, it is much cheaper than the consequences if you are a victim.
With reports of this crime continuing to increase every year, you really need to think about what you are doing for yourself in terms of identity theft prevention. The simple safeguards that you can put in place today can save you hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours of your personal time if you become a victim.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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