Keeping Our Identity SAFE

Growing up I was always told to "keep my identity safe." I remember going to ATMs and triple-checking to make sure no one was nearby and then proceeding to shove my body as close to the ATM as possible just to make sure anyone hiding behind the bushes couldn't get a glimpse of my pin.  


I got in the habit at a young age of tearing up my credit card statements, only putting my social security number and address on documents that required it and avoiding actually speaking my social security number over the phone or inputting it online. 

Creepy identity theft man

Paranoid much??? Perhaps. But most of this outwardly bizarre behavior can be attributed to the fact that my mom had her identity stolen once and it took her 7 years to get the whole mess sorted out. SEVEN YEARS. 


I don't know about you, but there are a number of things I would rather dedicate my time to than convincing the government that I'm not currently living in Mexico and that the 10 credit cards opened under my name was not of my doing. 


Military members can especially be easy targets of these financial attacks. Being associated with military means that our personal information is all over the place -- it seems you can barely even buy groceries on base without being asked for a social security number. Coupled with the fact that we have to move every few years makes keeping our identity safe even more precarious.  


So here are some basic, but important reminders on how you can hopefully avoid ever having to deal with this issue. (Source: Smart Military Money) 

"Avoiding Identity Theft Can Be Easy and Cheap." 

-Smart Military Money

1)  Buy a shredder. 

Yes, it takes a little bit longer than just tossing a piece of paper in the trash, but it's well worth the additional 3 second shred time. Stop debating whether you really need one or not because you do. There are many shredders on the market that aren't expensive and get the job done just fine. We have the Fellowes Powershred and it works great. 


Smart Military Money's rule of thumb if you are wondering what documents you should shred and what should go in the trash: if you're questioning it, shred it.  


2) Keep an eye on your bills and credit report.

I am sure many of you have experienced a time when you've looked at your credit card statement and your heart stopped a little - "where are all these charges coming from?!" My husband and I experienced this recently when apparently "we" were having a shopping spree in Las Vegas. We were lucky enough to catch the charges before they even went through, but this experience alone can make you feel violated. 


Smart Military Money says that we often glance at our final balance thinking that it looks about right, but we really need to go through each payment and recognize each purchase. 


It's also important to check your credit report at least every year. By using a resource such as annualcreditreport.com, military members can review their reports from each of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and Transunion, annually for free.  


3) Use online and digital protection.

Make sure you are using some type of antivirus software package to help keep your identity safe by preventing sites from leaving unwanted cookies or strings of programming designed to report on your internet usage to third parties.


A basic antivirus software for windows is AVG and it's free to download - if you want a more in-depth virus package you can upgrade to the internet security package that costs about $50. Although fewer viruses target the Mac Operating System, they do exist. One of the most popular and widely used free antivirus software for Macs is Sophos Mac Home Edition.  


4) Use a random card number generators when shopping online. 

If you're anything like me, then you do 98% of your shopping online. We all know the dangers associated with shopping online, but we do it anyways because it's convenient. And let's face it - we can all use a little convenience in our lives. However, even popular and trusted sites can get hacked. 


Many credit card companies and even some banks offer a program known as a random card number generator, which will temporarily attach a number to your account for an online purchase or to generate a number only good for online shopping. Take a look at Discover's random card number generator. 


5) Protect your passwords! 

That image above? Yeah, don't do that...using a sticky note or a piece of paper to write down your passwords is not the way to go. Consider using a protected password keeper program, like Password Protection that allows you to store your information in a secure database. 

Also, protect the password to your email as closely as you would the password to your online banking because a lot of your information is interconnected. Avoid using digitis from your social security number, credit card number of bank account number when you are creating your passwords. The more obscure and complex, the better. 

Hope these were some helpful reminders to you...I know they were for me. At times, I get lazy about protecting my identity, but then I have to remind myself: seven years - yeahhhhh I don't want to deal with that. 

Happy Tuesday to you all!

xoxo,

Whit