During January, I’ve covered the topics of identity theft,
security freeze, credit reports and credit scores. You may have set your own New Year’s
resolutions, but I’ll bet you have figured out that I think taking care of your
personal identity and credit record should be one of them. I encourage you to set aside some time this
week, even just 30 minutes to assess your personal situation. The following week, set aside 30 more minutes
to address any issues that were revealed in your assessment. By setting an appointment with yourself, you
are much more likely to get the business handled. Also, according to some time management
classes I’ve taken lately, setting a timer can eliminate the drudgery of a
task. The suggestion from the class was
to set a timer for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. For me, it always seems like I spend more
time dreading a task than actually doing it.
The same may be true for you.
While you are assessing your credit and data security
information, you may want to take an identity theft risk assessment test . The risk assessment is broken into sections:
checking for evidence of identity theft, destroying sensitive personal
information, and limiting access to sensitive personal information. There are great questions that point you to
important behaviors, like checking your credit card statements against your
receipts, so that you are able to tell if there are unauthorized charges. When I looked at the risk assessment web
site,
it reminded me that I had a charge on my credit card that I wanted to
investigate. It is surprising how many
good practices you can learn from a simple quiz.
The section on limiting access to sensitive personal
information is especially important. Be
sure not to give out your personal information on an unsolicited phone call or
allow someone to access your computer remotely.
There are plenty of frauds out there.
If it seems suspicious, it probably is.
If a caller presses you for information, hang up. If it is a legitimate call, they will follow
up using other methods. You may also
want to opt out of prescreened credit offers, phone calls and junk mail. You can do so by going to the opt-out portion
of the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
Another place to be cautious is at the check-out stand. Do not leave your credit card sitting out
where others could see the numbers. With
today’s pervasive technology, someone near you in line could take a photo of
your card without your knowing. I try to
keep my card covered while in the cashier’s line right up until the card is
swiped.
Opt Out of Unsolicited Mail, Calls, Email
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