Preventing identity theft

I learned recently that up to one in ten of the population may have been a victim of identity theft. Identity Theft is one of the fastest growing crimes of recent times. Identity Theft involves the criminal using various ways to steal your identity. They then pass themselves off as you and commit fraud and theft in your name. Worst of all is that you are left dealing with the aftermath..
Identity Theft can result in your credit rating being ruined and this can take years to fix. Its much better to prevent thieves being able to steal your identity than it is dealing with the problem afterwards. Here are some key ways to prevent your identity being stolen. I have also linked to some resources which give more extensive information.

1: Old documents such as bills, bank statements, and receipts are a gold mine to the Identity thief. Keep your documents safely stored or completely destroy them if they are not needed. Don't carelessly throw them away, as the first steps in stealing an identity may involve the thief searching for such documents in the rubbish you throw away. So always Shred or burn unwanted papers.

2: Keep your personal documents out of the sight of visitors to your home !

3: If you change address always make sure that you inform your bank, utility companies, and everyone else who sends you mail. Do this in plenty of time so that your post is properly redirected. Check back to make sure that post is not still being delivered to your old address. Documents wrongly sent to a previous address are a favourite target for the Identity Thief.

4: When you stop using a credit card or bank account properly close the account. Don't think that it's enough just to let it go dormant. If you just let it go dormant you might find that a fraudster finds a way to resurrect the account and this might not then be noticed until the damage is serious.

5: Make sure you know where your credit, debit and ATM cards are at all times. Take no chances with these as they are a key way to access your identity. Always tell the issuing banks immediately if you lose them or they're stolen.

6: Never ever write down your PIN numbers and passwords and especially not on scraps of paper that you keep in your purse or wallet together with your cards. This is asking for trouble.

7: Watch out for phishing. Banks just don't ask for personal details via email, and they won't ask you for passwords to your account. If in any doubt at all when you get such an email ( and you should be) , call your bank to make sure the request is genuine.

8: make sure that you use up to date anti-virus software and firewall on your computer, especially if you use online banking of any kind. This is very important if you do online banking.

9: Check your bank account and credit card statements carefully. If there is anything you cant explain then query it with your bank.

10: It also makes sense to monitor your credit reports to see if anything appears that seems odd. Look for applications for credit cards that you didn't make, or missed payments on finance that you haven't taken out. Services are available online for this and they can automatically inform you when something changes.

If you want to know more then you might want to check out these Identity Theft related resources
Privacy Crisis - how to protect your privacy and guard against Identity Theft
Also check out
Identity Theft protection - 31 ways Identity Theft is committed and how to protect yourself