More Ways Thieves Strike and How to Thwart Them

As promised in our last post, here are some more common ways thieves gain access to your personal identifying info and how to prevent being a victim:

• Stealing from your home.These days, burglars don’t just steal physical loot when they break into your house. They’re also on the lookout for data they can use to steal your identity or sell to those that will.
  
  Prevent this theft by keeping your data secure in your home. Get a safe and secure it in place, or use a locked filing cabinet that can’t easily by bypassed. If you leave a pile of bills next to the phone or on the kitchen counter, you’re making it very easy for burglars to grab valuable personal info

• Skimming your credit cards. Store or restaurant workers may skim your credit cards so they can make a duplicate or use the number to make purchases online or by phone.
  
  Prevent this theft by watching carefully when a merchant or restaurant server swipes your card. Don’t let your credit or ID cards out of your direct control without being very cautious. Also, be careful when using and ATM or credit card reader at a gas pump. Some thieves attach special devices to such machines that skim your card info. Don’t use a device that looks suspicious or damaged.

• Shoulder surfing. When you’re using your cards (credit, ID, ATM, etc) a thief may peek over your shoulder to get your PIN or even use a digital camera to photograph your card number.
  
  Prevent this theft by being cautious when using an ATM or handling your cards in public.

• Pretense calling. Thieves Call you under false pretenses and trick you into revealing personal info.
  
  Prevent this theft by never giving personal info over the phone unless you initiated the call, you know whom you are speaking to, and you know how your info is going to be used.

• Stealing your file at work. Your employer likely has enough info about you to allow a thief to successfully compromise your identity.
  
  Prevent this theft by verifying that your personal info is kept secure by your employer.

We’ll be back with one more round of common ways thieves strike and how to stop them.

For more information, download our free eBook, “ID Theft: Protecting and Restoring Your Good Name,” or check out our online course on Identity Theft Prevention, available here in our FIT Academy. For more information about National Protect Your Identity Week (NPYIW) or to find a local PYIW event near you, visit ProtectYourIDNow.org.

Related articles:

• Identity Theft Prevention Guide, Part Two
• Identity Theft Prevention Guide, Part One
• Identity Theft Thieves Prey On Consumers in Many Ways
• What is Medical Identity Theft and How Can I Avoid It?
• Surviving Freshman Year: How to Avoid Identity Theft