Preventive Measures

Changing Your Daily Routines: At The Workplace

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The latest trend in identity theft is to hit groups of people, and workplaces can be very vulnerable. Find out if your company has an arrangement in place that will protect the employees from identity theft. Make sure your company stores your personal information in a very safe place. Also, find out which other employees have direct access to your personal information.

Identity theft can occur through records maintained by your bank, credit card companies, the Department of Motor Vehicles, utilities, insurance companies, and phone companies. Try to have as little information as possible printed on any cards these groups may issue. Ask the companies about their policies with regard to sharing your information. You can easily stop many components of information sharing.

Make it much harder for thieves to use your accounts. Put passwords on credit card, bank, and phone accounts. Get credit cards with your picture on them for easy identification of ownership. Call the companies that issue the accounts and find out what security options they offer for their customers. Do not print your social security number or phone number on your checks. It is best not have your checks delivered to your home — go and pick them up personally at your bank.

Security Tip:

Another way that identity thieves grab information is by simply stealing the content of mailboxes. You can use a high security lock mailbox to prevent theft of mail sent to you. Also, consider dropping off your mail inside the post office whenever you send out bills to ensure mail is not intercepted. Thieves will even steal checks sent out by consumers and use chemical washes to remove ink. If you are planning to be away from home and cannot pick up your mail, call the post office to request a vacation hold on your mail, which you can pick-up afterwards.