With our data constantly being stolen or sold, we are reminded of the need to protect our identity and prevent identity theft. There are a number of things you can do to protect your identity. Here are a few tips to stay safe:
1.) Monitor your bank accounts and credit card accounts. Set up alerts with on your accounts to let you know when large purchases have been made
2.) Keep your documents safe. Have a safe for paper documents and have encrypted, cloud based, document storage for your electronic documents.
3.) Be aware of your online activity. Facebook and other social sites are known for data breaches. Be sure to use a spam blocker and anti-virus software when surfing the internet.
4.) Monitor your credit. Sign up for a credit monitoring service (Not just the ones that are offered after your data has been stolen) Look into something like legal shield or identity shield if you need more options. These services will monitor your credit, and help you fix it if your identity is stolen.
At the end of the day, identity theft can still happen to those who take the time to secure their information and personal documents.
Taking these steps above can help to lessen the probability of it happening to you.