How to Prevent Identity Theft 

In today's society, criminals have found ways to become smarter and their crimes are much more difficult to detect. While it's not always spoken about, identity theft continues to be a problem across the nation. Unfortunately, the costs of recovering and repairing this information damage rise as people take a back seat on protecting their identity. Luckily, it doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive to prevent identity theft. Check out these tips!

Monitor your credit report - This is probably the number one most important thing that you can do to protect yourself against identity theft online or otherwise. Keeping track of what is happening with bank accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards will let you detect when or if your accounts have been tampered with.

Shred sensitive documents before throwing them away - This includes bills, bank statements, and anything with account details included. Ideally, buy a shredding machine to do this efficiently.

Be wary of suspicious emails and calls - Typically, banks, financial institutions, and retail stores won't ask for your personal details over email or the phone. Do not be fooled into giving your personal details and card information over the phone to a person claiming to be your bank. If this does occur, hang up and contact your bank directly to confirm.

Protect your account numbers and passwords - Don't carry these around with you in your wallet or bag. This may seem obvious, but it's surprising what damage a scribble on a post-it note can do. Take the time to learn your passwords and PINs so that you don't need to rely on a note.

Use anti-virus software - Protecting your computer has always been important, but today it's even more essential as identity thieves and hackers can gang up and infest your computer with viruses that access your personal information.

Protecting your identity and finances should be a priority. For all of your insurance policies in Antioch, Brentwood, and beyond, contact us today.