6 tips for protecting yourself against identity theft
As the last quarter of each year tends to be the busiest for online shopping, we thought now would be the ideal time to re-share our guide to avoiding identity theft.
Unfortunately, identity theft and the related fraud is ever more common. While this may, in part, be attributed to the rise of internet banking and online transactions, opportunistic thieves can still obtain your personal information by raking through bins, stealing handbags and wallets and cloning cards.
As with any other type of theft, you cannot guarantee identity theft will never happen to you but you can do your bit to minimise your risk.
Tip #1 Leave your identity documents at home
Unless you need to use your passport, driving license or other personal documents, don’t carry them with you. Keep them stored safely at home and take copies which can then be stored online safely.
Tip #2 De-clutter your wallet
Just as it is wise to leave your ID at home when you don’t need it, consider which cards you will be likely to use each day. While it does require a little more planning than keeping everything in your purse or wallet, think about the potential damage should all your cards go astray at once.
Tip #3 Be clever with passwords
Using a different strong password (no ‘password’) for each account will go a long way towards protecting your online identity. We know it is tempting to use one universal password but remember once one of your accounts has been accessed, they’re all there for the taking. Use capital letters, special characters and numbers when creating a new password. Be as cryptic as you can and use spaces where possible as it makes it a lot more difficult to crack.
Tip #4 Shred, shred, shred
Invest in a cross shredder and get into the habit of destroying all personal information when you no longer need it. Bank statements, credit card bills, mobile phone bills and online shopping invoices are all examples of documents which could be used by fraudsters, so don’t give them the chance.
Tip #5 Keep it under lock and key
While shredding will take care of the documents you don’t need to keep, you will also need to deal with those you need to store in the house. A simple lockable filing cabinet is perfect for this purpose; use cardboard dividers to separate your paperwork into categories, lock the drawer and go about your business safe in the knowledge that your identity is as safe as can be. It will deter a casual thief.
Tip #6 Try LastPass
The last password you’ll ever need to remember! LastPass is a handy browser add-on that will generate new super-secure passwords and save them on an encrypted server. You can sync it across various devices too, so you don’t lose any security while working on your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
How do you keep your identity safe from fraudsters?
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