Identity Theft Protection Plan

Components of a good identity theft protection plan

Identity theft is a crime that can and should be compared with terminal cancer that strikes at anytime and at any place as well as strikes anyone. Most people mistakenly believe that identity theft will not affect them and that it is something that happens to someone else. However, when it strikes, it will floor you and so, rather than be wiser after the event it makes sense to put into place a good identity theft protection plan.

Wakeup Call

You need to pay attention to the publicity being given to the huge numbers of identity theft cases taking place in the US and in the rest of the world. Such bad news must act like a wakeup call and get you moving to do something concrete to beat the odds that you are going to become the next identity theft victim.

Without a good identity theft protection plan in place you will have little chance to combat identity thieves that operate with stealth and with great speed and ingenuity. What’s more, by the time you wake up to the fact that your identity has been stolen you will be in deep financial and emotional trouble.

The first part of your identity theft protection plan must ensure that you don’t discard your old bank and credit card statements into the dumpster before first having shredded these statements. The second aspect to your identity theft protection plan is to ensure that your Social Security number and card is zealously guarded and there should be no chance of them falling into the wrong hands.

The third part of your identity theft protection plan will be to ensure that you never divulge your personal information over the telephone or through the mail or even via the Internet unless you have initiated the conversation or communication. When using the Internet your identity theft protection plan must ensure that you never click on emails (unsolicited) or on dubious links; your computer must be protected by a firewall and good anti-virus software and you need to be extremely cautious about divulging credit card information. Also, before throwing away your old computer makes sure to format and erase your hard drive and only then discard the computer.

In regard to credit identity theft protection you need to be very alert as credit card information, when it falls into the wrong hands, can lead to catastrophic consequences. Other things that you can do in order to protect your identity include when your credit card statements cease all of a sudden; you must then take immediate action to find out why. Also, you must never leave your purse or wallet unattended when in public places; finally, a good identity theft protection plan will ensure that you replace your signature on your credit card with a request to have your photo ID checked in place of your signature.