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Oscar Sodani is a founder of Help2Go and owner of Help2Go Networks, an IT consulting firm in the Washington D.C. area. Oscar holds the CISSP certification as well as industry certifications from Microsoft, Cisco and Novell.
A few years ago, my wife's identity was stolen. All it took was for someone to get her Social Security Number (a janitor stole HR files from her office) and sign up for credit cards at different addresses. When our calls to the police were basically ignored, since the thief had "only" stolen a thousand dollars from the credit card companies, we knew that identity theft was going to be the next big thing. What can you and I do to prevent identity theft?
Preventing Identity Theft via Password
- Your computer passwords and PIN numbers are invaluable. Keep them safe! Memorize your passwords and NEVER write them down. If you have too many to remember, use a secure program like Password Safe to store them.
- Use a different password for each web site, and a different PIN number for each bank. Change them often. Internet sites that don't do e-commerce (like this one) do not use SSL security to encrypt your password when you type it in. For instance, if your Yahoo mail password is intercepted, will that also let the thief into Amazon.com? If so, then they can rack up charges on your credit card. Or even apply for an Amazon.com credit card in your name. Is it the same password as your bank password? Then you are really in trouble...
Preventing Identity Theft via your PC - Protect your PC from viruses. Viruses often transmit your personal information back to malicious people in foreign countries. Use a good antivirus program - we recommend the free AVG antivirus program.
- Protect your PC from spyware. Spyware does the same thing - it transfers your information to those that would use it against you - that's why it's called spyware! You'll also need a good anti-spyware program. Microsoft AntiSpyware works well.
- Safeguard your physical PC. Don't leave your laptop around. Even if you think the data on there is worthless, don't be so sure. A good identity thief will know where to look to find information like bank account numbers, social security numbers, etc. Do you have Quicken or MS Money installed? Heck, that's all they'll need!
- Beware of P2P software. If you're getting something for free, then it's probably too good to be true. Not only does a lot of P2P software come with spyware, most people set it up incorrectly. You may think you're only sharing your songs folder, but you may be sharing important documents like these people did.
Preventing Identity Theft via the Mail - Don't leave your mail in the mailbox for longer than is necessary. Better yet, install a mailslot in your front door, if possible. A member of this website had his identity stolen from someone who stole credit card "pre-approved" notices from his mailbox. Two months later, he received 4 credit card bills, totalling more than $20,000. The credit card companies will help you in these situations, but the problem will end up on your credit report and can take years to completely clean off your record.
- Get your credit report every year. You'll be surprised how many mistakes are made in credit reports. With 3 major companies, all with sub-bureaus that handle their own data, it can take years to fix an error. Catch it early!
- Invest in a cross-cut shredder. $40 for a cross-cut shredder can save a lot of headaches later on. Shred important documents, especially bank statements, utility statements, and credit card statements. You don't want someone working in a recycling center looking through your financial documents, do you?
What to do if your identity is stolen The FTC has an excellent information web site on how to proceed if you fear the worst. But before you do anything, call every credit card company with which you have an account, and change all your passwords to everything. Keep records of everything you do as you clean up your credit - you'll need those records later on. Discuss this article: Preventing Identity Theft Discussion
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