Say No to Identity Theft - Things to Look Out For to Prevent Identity Theft Crimes
By Tina L Douglas
It cannot be stressed enough how important is vigilance in the your drive towards evading identity theft. Constant vigilance is the key in reducing the risk of you becoming prey to these criminals. You can't rely on luck nor can you rely on skills.
By Tina L Douglas
It cannot be stressed enough how important is vigilance in the your drive towards evading identity theft. Constant vigilance is the key in reducing the risk of you becoming prey to these criminals. You can't rely on luck nor can you rely on skills.
Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.
But what should we be vigilant about? Here are some points that need your constant vigilance:
Your Credit Reports.
You need to constantly monitor your credit report from all three credit bureaus. The law provides that each individual consumer can request for one free credit card report every year. As these reports are updated quarterly, you have to request for your credit reporting in between then. What you can do is to request one credit report from one bureau, and after four months, request another from another bureau until you have requested one copy from each credit agency after every four months. This will allow you to monitor your credit report thrice a year, as compared to other consumers who do so only once. If something fishy happens with your credit report or if there are unauthorized entries in your credit report, you will be able to detect it immediately as compared to people who have to wait for the following year to request for another copy of their credit report.
If in any case your identity is stolen and the identity theft criminal has contacted various firms to apply for a loan, these firms will definitely run a credit check on you. Their names then would be reflected in your credit report, as firms that are performing background checks on you. If you monitor your credit report closely, you will immediately detect if another person is inquiring in your behalf so you can immediately put a stop to it.
If you are a military personnel and you need to go out of the country for a long period, place a fraud alert or a security freeze on your social security number with any of the credit card bureau. This will ensure that no new credit cards will be opened while you are gone as well no new loans, mortgages, and even jobs will be applied for under your name.
Your Credit Reports.
You need to constantly monitor your credit report from all three credit bureaus. The law provides that each individual consumer can request for one free credit card report every year. As these reports are updated quarterly, you have to request for your credit reporting in between then. What you can do is to request one credit report from one bureau, and after four months, request another from another bureau until you have requested one copy from each credit agency after every four months. This will allow you to monitor your credit report thrice a year, as compared to other consumers who do so only once. If something fishy happens with your credit report or if there are unauthorized entries in your credit report, you will be able to detect it immediately as compared to people who have to wait for the following year to request for another copy of their credit report.
If in any case your identity is stolen and the identity theft criminal has contacted various firms to apply for a loan, these firms will definitely run a credit check on you. Their names then would be reflected in your credit report, as firms that are performing background checks on you. If you monitor your credit report closely, you will immediately detect if another person is inquiring in your behalf so you can immediately put a stop to it.
If you are a military personnel and you need to go out of the country for a long period, place a fraud alert or a security freeze on your social security number with any of the credit card bureau. This will ensure that no new credit cards will be opened while you are gone as well no new loans, mortgages, and even jobs will be applied for under your name.
Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.
Your Credit Card Statement.
You also need to closely monitor your credit card statement. You have to first know at what time of the month does it usually arrive and it should arrive at approximately the same time every month that will follow. This will ensure that your credit card statement is being sent to you directly and no one is taking a peek at it before you do. Other than that fact, you should also keep the receipts that you incurred whenever you make any purchase or payments with your credit card. These receipts should be cross-checked with the charges that you incurred for that billing month. If there are any other charges that you do not recognize, then you need to immediately contact your credit card company and report the discrepancy for a potential identity theft crime.
Tina L. Douglas is a skilled writer from California. With numerous experiences in the field of writing for several financial institutions, she is greatly qualified across a variety of economic issues. Her notable pieces of writing involve identity theft protection [http://5identitytheftprotection.com/].
Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Say-No-to-Identity-Theft---Things-to-Look-Out-For-to-Prevent-Identity-Theft-Crimes&id=4355121] Say No to Identity Theft - Things to Look Out For to Prevent Identity Theft Crimes
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Say-No-to-Identity-Theft---Things-to-Look-Out-For-to-Prevent-Identity-Theft-Crimes&id=4355121] Say No to Identity Theft - Things to Look Out For to Prevent Identity Theft Crimes
identity protection, identity theft protection, identity theft
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