Are worried about how to protect your identity? If so, we have put together some helpful information for you below:

What You Can Do To Protect Your Identity

The best way to protect yourself is to keep your information private. Be sure that you know why your personal information is required and how it will be used before sharing it with anyone. Keep your personal information out of messages like email, text, or phone calls.

Take time to review your credit report. The law requires that you are able to get a free copy of your credit report annually. You can get this from the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can also stagger your report requests from each agency throughout the year. Remember, always look for any activity or inquiries that you are unable to explain.Visit annualcreditreport.com or call 1.877.322.8228

Other Ways to Protect Your Identity

  • Protect your Social Security number. Do not give your Social Security number to people or companies you do not know.
  • Review privacy policies. Any legitimate business that is requesting your Social Security number should have a privacy policy that explains why personal information is collected, how it will be used, and who will have access to it.
  • Destroy old documents. Shred any information that you no longer need, especially if it contains personally identifiable information and account numbers. This will include: credit card receipts, billing statements and pre-approved credit offers.
  • Keep your mail safe from theft. Whenever possible, remove incoming mail as soon as you can. You may also want to consider a locking mailbox. You should also take your outgoing mail to a post office collection box.
  • Carry only the essentials. Unless necessary, do not carry any extra credit cards, your birth certificate, passport or your Social Security card with you.
  • Review your statements. First, carefully and promptly review all transaction confirmations, account statements and reports. Remember, regularly review your account(s). If you suspect or encounter any unauthorized activity on your account, call your personal financial adviser.

For more tips, read our article on Protecting Your Credit and Identity.

But, What To Do If You’ve Had Your Identity Stolen?

If you suspect someone has taken your identity, you should immediately contact one of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion to request a fraud alert be placed on your file. By doing this, you will make it more difficult for someone other than you to open new accounts or make any changes to your existing accounts.

List of Helpful Resources:

Need More Information?

At the Law Office of Daniela Romero, we believe in relationships that are based on trust. Before we work together we would like to get to know you and we would like you to get to know us. We want you to be sure you are the right fit for us and that we are the perfect fit for you. This will allow you to be completely comfortable sharing intimate and difficult details of your case, so we can offer you representation to the fullest extent of the law. Call us today to set up a free consultation.