Preventing Identity Theft (Part One)

Having your identity stolen can be a real nightmare. Take these simple steps to protect yourself immediately.

If you are like most people, chances are you have an online presence. Hackers and other bad actors can leverage that presence to steal your identity, with disastrous results for you. You could wake up one morning and find your bank account empty or find that you can’t even see your account balance because you’re locked out. You might discover a surprise lien on your house.

To minimize the risk of this type of potential disaster, here are some tips that can help you stop identity theft. Many people fail to protect themselves, so most criminals go for the easy marks. These tips can help ensure your identity isn’t breached.

1. Shred, Shred, Shred
   Never discard or recycle bank statements, bills, or any documents that contain confidential information. Invest in a home document shredder and use it. When in doubt, shred!
2. Secure Your Documents
   Keep vital documents that you access only periodically, like birth certificates, tax returns, social security cards, and so on, in a fireproof home safe or lockbox. If using a bank safe-deposit box, remember that safe deposit box contents are not generally insured or guaranteed against fire or disaster.
3. Power Up Your Passwords
   A breach at any secure site could conceivably reveal your login credentials to thieves, so you should regularly change your password on various sites and always change your password after a breach. If you use the same password on many sites, that increases your chances of being hit with multiple breaches. You can mitigate the risk of password breaches by using a different strong password for every secure site. A password manager (also protected by a very strong, unique, master password) may also be necessary for additional protection of your passwords. Also, consider utilizing multi-factor authentication, as it will require both your master password and another factor such as your fingerprint or a code received on your phone.
4. Remember, Loose Lips Sink Ships
   You can’t avoid providing personal information when you want certain things—for example, a mortgage or a new insurance account. However, when a company or someone contacts you directly asking for personal info, whether by snail-mail, email, or phone, zip your lips. If you feel the inquiry may be legitimate, ask for a way to contact them after you’ve performed adequate due diligence.
5. Don’t Be Fooled by Scammers
   It’s nice to get help from tech support for any computer problems you may have. However, don’t be fooled by self-proclaimed tech support experts who contact you by phone, email, or otherwise and claim that your computer is sending out viruses. They may tell you they will clean it and then start asking for passwords or remote access to your computer. Hang up and block the caller.
6. Lock Your Phone
   Your smartphone is an identity thief’s dream. It has your email, IM, social media, and other apps, potentially logged in and available. It contains abundant personal data, including your contacts, passwords, account numbers, etc. A thief who has unrestricted access to your phone owns your identity, period.

You must use a strong authentication method to lock your phone, as PIN only or a simple swipe pattern will not suffice. The best solution is biometric authentication, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, which is offered by modern iPhones, coupled with a strong passcode using all characters, not just numbers.