As the world continues to depend on technology on a daily basis, it becomes increasingly more important that individuals become aware of identity theft threats and learn how to prevent them. Recent hackings with large companies such as Target and Home Depot emphasize the importance of everyone becoming more aware, as these crises can happen to anyone, no matter how large or small your measurable assets may be. Gathered are some helpful tips for preventing identity theft:
- You must safeguard your Social Security number to the fullest. While you may be inclined to trust those with higher authority with this important number, it is vital that you are careful with who you share this information with. If any company calls you requesting your Social Security number, be careful, this may be fraudulent activity. Also, avoid saving your Social Security number in your phone under what you believe to be a clever name.
- Despite popular belief, making your password the name of your pet and first address number is not very clever. Cyber attackers and hackers are experienced in guessing common password combinations. Likewise, your high school jersey number in combination with your middle name will not trick a criminal.
- Every household should be equipped with a paper shredder. Criminals know that you likely toss credit card offers without shredding, so they will look for those papers with sensitive information on them.
- It is important that you avoid accessing sensitive personal data from public computers. If you will be vacationing, make sure that you print all important information from home so that you are not forced to rely on public computers.
Contact Perry & Carroll for all of your insurance needs. Always going above and beyond to protect your assets in every realm of your life, allow us to safeguard your identity by putting the right insurance policies in place.