~~~IDENTITY THEFT CAN AFFECT CONSUMERS IN SEVERAL WAYS HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT AND CATCH IT BEFORE THE DAMAGE BECOMES DETRIMENTAL!
• NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER! IF YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR SSN, BE SURE THAT WHOEVER YOU GIVE IT TO WILL BE PROTECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION, IF YOU MUST USE YOUR SSN ONLINE,
MAKE SURE THE SITE IS SECURE IT ALWAYS HELPS TO CHECK OUT THE BETTA BUSINESS BUREA (BBB), TO GET BACKGROUND HISTORY ON SITES/COMPANIES/PERSONS. IF A PERSON/COMPANY/SITE HAS ANY COMPLAINTS,
THEY WOULD BE ON FILE WITH THE BBB. IT ALSO HELPS TO GOOGLE A PERSONS NAME, ORGANIZATION OR COMPANY, BEFORE TRUSTING YOUR INFORMATION WITH THEM. IF A PERSON HAS BEEN RECORDED ONLINE,
THE COMPLAINT WILL SURELY BE LINGERING SOMEWHERE IN CYBERSPACE.
• SITES LIKE CRAIGSLIST ARE SOMETIMES COMMON FOR SCAMS, THESE SCAMS CONSIST OF JOB SEARCHES,
INQUIRIES ON PRODUCTS FOR SALE, AS WELL AS HOMES FOR SALE OR RENT. IF A PERSON CLAIMS TO BE “OUT OF TOWN” AND PROMPTS YOU TO SUPPLY YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION, SUCH AS, NAME, ADDRESS,CONTACT INFO, EMAIL OR ANY OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION WITHOUT CONTACTING YOU BY PHONE FIRST,
******IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY IT'S A SCAM, SO BE WAREY!!****** NEVER GIVE SOMEONE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WITHOUT CONFIRMING THAT THE PERSON IS ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN WHATEVER SERVICE OR SALES YOU ARE SOLICITING!
• PROTECT YOURSELF – PROTECT YOUR PASSWORDS BY CHANGING THEM FREQUENTLY! DO NOT USE THE SAME PASSWORD FOR EVERYTHING! IF A PERSON AQUIRES YOUR PASSWORD, THEY CAN USE IT TO ACCESS ALL YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTS! MAKE SURE PASSWORDS ARE ORIGINAL AND HARD TO GUESS. BIRTHDAYS, LAST NAMES, OR NUMBER SEQUENCES LIKE 1234 ARE OFTEN EASY TO FIGURE OUT. DO NOT COUNT YOURSELF OUT! SCAMMERS AND HACKERS WANT YOU TOO AND ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNTS! MAKE SURE TO BE ALERT ABOUT ALL ONLINE ACCOUNTS AND PERSONAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE!
• KEEP WATCH ON YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS & STATEMENTS. IF YOU HAVE A SMARTPHONE – YOU CAN DOWNLOAD APPS THAT MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU TO BE ALERTED WHEN A TRANSACTION HAS OCCURRED ON YOUR ACCOUNT!
• CHECK OUT YOUR CREDIT REPORT FOR FREE ONLINE. THIS METHOD IS HELPFUL TO FIND FRAUDULENT ACCOUNTS/CHARGES AND DISPUTE THEM BEFORE THEY BECOME A BIGGER PROBLEM FOR YOU!
ALWAYS GO WITH YOUR FIRST INSTINCTS, IF SOMETHING SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY IS!!