Protecting against identity theft
Protecting against identity theft
Do you know how to protect yourself from identity theft? At the October Triad meeting Dan Skinner gave some very informative tips on how protect yourself from those who would separate you from your money.
Dan covered several issues that those who were concerned about identity theft found very informative.
One new tool for fighting “Identity Theft” was the “Security Freeze Bill” It was passed by this year’s Indiana Legislature. This new bill is the strongest and most consumer friendly of any similar bill in the nation. Dan Skinner joined me this year on the AARP Indiana Legislative Team that led the fight for this consumer protection. This bill allows consumers to freeze their credit bureau file so identity thieves cannot use a person’s credit information to wrongly obtain credit in another person’s name with the intent to commit fraud.
Skinner passed out AARP Indiana Security Freeze Kits that have the forms you need to protect your credit information. If you did not get a kit at Thursday’s meeting, we will have more available at the next Triad meeting on November 15.
Another important tool is education and changing long-standing habits that are no longer safe in today’s society. Some of this information is very difficult for honest, God-fearing people who have worked hard all their lives to accept. We all have to stop doing things that makes us easy targets for these thieves.
Dan’s advice concerning the shredding of documents that contain your personal information is extremely important. In the past people did not have to worry about tossing these documents into their trash bags and put them outside until the trash was picked up. No longer can we enjoy this innocent act of privacy because there are people who make a living stealing personal information out of your trash bags or out of the dumpsters. Dumpster divers and trash bag searchers are active all over the United States. You can buy a shedder for a reasonable price and it could save you a couple years of grief and bad credit.
Another tip that Dan talked about was mail. Never put mail in a rural-type mailbox, raise the flag and leave it unattended. In the city, do not put mail out on the front porch for the mail carrier so that anybody walking down the street could see it. Take the mail to the Post Office, wait for the mail carrier to come by or put it in one of those secure blue postal boxes. Especially if you are mailing bills. You might not only have your personal information in that envelope but also a check with your bank information on it. People steal mail out of mailboxes and use it to get your information and it could be some time before you would even know it was stolen. You could already have had thousands of dollars racked up against your credit by then.
Madison County Triad has been aware of many reports about people stealing mail out of mailboxes here in Madison County. You need to be very careful about protecting your identity and personal information from these thieves.
Skinner also warned people to keep their personal information in a locked drawer or small lock box so nosey relatives or friends cannot see information that may not be any of their business. Skinner reminded the audience that the majority of police agencies all across the United States have reported that relatives or friends of the victim perpetrate the vast majority of identity theft cases.