Don’t Let Identity Theft Add to the Stress of Life Changes
Have you ever taken one of those tests that evaluate your stress levels based on the changes happening in your life? A new home, a new job, a birth or death in the family, a marriage or divorce, all can push up the life stress-o-meter. Unfortunately, happy or sad, many of these life changes also put you at increased risk of identity theft.
The problem lies in the "paper trail" (although these days it's more often a digital trail). Think about how many businesses and people are involved in a typical wedding. You'll pay the band, the caterer, the wedding planner, the tux rental company, the florist . . . and your personal information will go through the payment systems of every one of those vendors and risk being seen by their employees. Your name and photos may appear in the local newspaper. You'll get a marriage license, possibly file name change documents with government offices and businesses, maybe get a new passport, and the list goes on.
You'll face similar exposure when buying a house (banks, inspectors, escrow, moving company) or having a baby (doctors, hospital, birth certificates). Bottom line: every time you share personal and financial information, your data is at risk, and during life changes, we tend to have to share our information a lot.
Change is inevitable, but you can fight identity theft. Here are three stress-free steps you can take to help protect yourself:
· Don't share your Social Security Number if you don't have to. Many paper and digital forms ask for information that isn't necessary to provide. For example, healthcare providers shouldn't need your SSN, and they shouldn't be using it as a health plan ID.
· Moving companies, caterers and florists, etc. are often small businesses who may not be security conscious. Ask them how they will keep your payment information safe and who in their office will have access to it.
· Make sure they shred papers with personal information rather than just putting them in the recycling or trash. (You may be doing them a favor by helping them think about information security.)
By: ID Experts
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