Be aware when creating passwords and PINs (personal identification numbers), do not use the last four digits of your Social Security number, your birthdate, middle name, pet’s name, consecutive numbers or anything else that could easily be discovered by thieves. Ask your financial institutions to add extra security protection to your account. Most will allow you to use an additional code (a number or word) when accessing your account. Do not use your mother’s maiden name, as that is all too easily obtained by identity thieves. Shield your hand when using a bank ATM machine or making long distance phone calls with your phone card. “Shoulder surfers” may be nearby with binoculars or video camera. Memorize all your passwords do not keep a record of them in your wallet or purse.
Some other tips for handling personal information responsibly are minimizing the amount of information a thief can steal, do not carry extra credit cards, your Social Security card, birth certificate or passport in your wallet or purse, except when needed. Install a locked mailbox at your residence to reduce mail theft. Or use a post office box. When you order new checks, do not have them sent to your home’s mailbox. Pick them up at the bank instead.
When you pay bills, do not leave the envelopes containing your checks at your mailbox for the postal carrier to pick up. If stolen, your checks can be altered and then cashed by the imposter. It is best to mail bills and other sensitive items at the post office rather than neighborhood drop boxes. Carefully review your credit card statements and phone bills, including cellular phone bills, for unauthorized use. Do not toss pre-approved credit offers in your trash or recycling bin without first tearing them into small pieces or shredding them. They can be used by “dumpster divers” to order credit cards in your name and mail them to their address. Do the same with other sensitive information like credit card receipts, phone bills and so on. Home shredders can be purchased in many office supply stores.
Demand that financial institutions adequately safeguard your data. Discourage your bank from using the last four digits of the SSN as the PIN number they assign to customers. Insist that banks remove account numbers from ATM slips (many have already done so). Also insist they shred all paper records before discarding them. By not adopting responsible information-handling practices, they put their customers at risk for fraud. When you fill out loan or credit applications, find out how the company disposes of them. If you are not comfortable with their method of disposal or storage, take your business elsewhere. Some auto dealerships, department stores, car rental agencies, and video stores have been known to be careless with customer applications .
When you pay by credit card, ask the business how it stores and disposes of the transaction slip. Avoid paying by credit card if you think the business does not use adequate safeguards. Store your canceled checks in a safe place. In the wrong hands, they could reveal a lot of information about you, including the account number, your phone number and driver’s license number. Never permit your credit card number to be written onto your checks. It’s a violation of California law (California Civil Code 1725) and puts you at risk for fraud. Any entity which handles personal information should train all its employees, from top to bottom, on responsible information-handling practices. Persuade the companies, government agencies, and nonprofit agencies with which you are associated to adopt privacy policies and conduct privacy training. Employees should be trained to check picture ID cards when accepting credit cards.
Never give out personal information such as your birth date, mother’s maiden name, credit card or social security number or bank PIN code over the phone, except to someone you know or an established firm. Shred pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts, bills and other financial information before throwing them away. Watch the mail when you are expecting a new or reissued credit card, bank card or checks to arrive. Contact the financial institution immediately if they are late.
Get off the lists of direct marketers and database companies. Companies sell your name, address and other personal information to companies and to individuals. And now, it’s easier than ever to end up on these lists. In fact, America Online sells the names and addresses of its subscribers to direct marketing companies (although they recently decided not to sell its members’ telephone numbers as well). One company that offers services to get you off mail, phone, and other database lists is Zero Junk Mail .
The government is currently drafting legislature to stop identity theft. However this takes time and time is on the side of the thief. The private sector, which includes all of us as individuals, can play a much larger part in preventing this crime if we just take the time. A few extra precautions on every persons part could help eliminate Identity theft. In the worst cases, these identity thieves use this knowledge to ruin credit ratings by making enormous unauthorized purchases, and sometimes even emotionally damaging the victims. As frightening as this may sound, computer users are not helpless against this new brand of criminal. The preventive steps are there for us to use. One in four Americans will fall victim to Identity theft. Will you be that one? What kind of information is floating through cyberspace about you? How safe is your identity?
Bibliography
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