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Protect Your Identity: Useful Tips to Thwart ID Theft

More than eight million Americans have their identities stolen each year.  In 2008, 10 million Americans fell victim to identity theft fraud costing more than $48 million.  There have been breaches of secure information in nearly every sector of the business community, not just in the credit industry.  ID theft reaches into education, health care, banking, and even into government sectors.  Anyone can be affected. 

In partnership with the National Foundation of Credit Counseling (NFCC), OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling is working to build awareness of this problem. 

“The average victim’s loss per identity theft incident is $4,849; but more than that, the victim of identity theft will spend an average of 600 hours and $496 resolving the issues related to the crime,” commented Celeste Collins, OnTrack Executive Director.  “Prevention is the best answer to this growing problem. Utilizing smart strategies will help protect people from becoming a victim of this crime.”

OnTrack offers the following tips from the NFCC’s Protect Your Identity Week Outreach Campaign to help better arm our community against identity theft:

  • Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet. This is considered the gateway to your identity. Leave it locked away at home or in a safe deposit box until you need it to conduct business.
  • Check other cards that you normally carry in your wallet; some of them may contain your Social Security number too. Examples include your Medicare card, insurance cards, or even some states’ driver's licenses.
  • Put as little information as you can on your checks. Never put your Social Security number and use a Post Office Box instead of a physical address if possible.
  • Mailing bills from a United States Post Office location or box is safer than putting them in your home mailbox for pick up. Identity thieves cruise neighborhoods looking for outgoing mail, knowing they are likely to find outgoing bill payments containing account numbers, checks and other personal information.
  • Do not have your new checks mailed to your home. Send them to your bank instead. Identity thieves think they've hit the jackpot when they find a box of checks in a mailbox.
  • Photocopy both sides of all credit cards and keep this information in a safe place. If you lose your wallet, you'll have the account numbers and phone numbers at your fingertips.
  • Report lost or stolen cards the moment you realize you are not in possession of the card. This will limit your liability.
  • Never provide personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call. Remember, identity thieves are skilled professional liars, trained to sound legitimate and sincere.
  • Shred everything. Don't assume that simply because you put an item in the trash, no one will see it.
  • Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails; instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer; keep them up-to-date. Visit OnGuardOnline.gov for more information.
  • Don't use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother's maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

“We hope that this information well help keep identity protection top of mind for all consumers, teaching them easy-to-handle tips that could save headaches in the future,” stated Collins.

Visit NC Attorney General Roy Cooper’s website www.ncdoj.com for additional tips and an ID Theft Victims Toolkit.

United Way NFCC Council on Accreditation