Tips to protect your credit report
It seems like there are now more possible ways thieves and criminals have for messing with you, your credit report and your life than you feel you have to protect yourself from becoming a victim of crimes such as Identity Theft. The good news for all of you is that there is a great deal that you can do to protect both yourself from becoming the victim of these types of crimes and your good credit standing from being shot down like an enemy fighter jet. There are some very simple things that you can do to protect yourself that you may already know about, yet forget to do.
Thoroughly shred or burn all sensitive paperwork. By sensitive paperwork we mean all of your bank statements, credit card statements and anything that has your Social Security Number and account numbers of any kind on them that can be used to create trouble for you. By either burning or totally shredding (cross-wise to create tiny pieces that cannot be recreated) these documents you are making sure that you are keeping this information out of the hands of the criminals. If you do not have a paper shredder you need to get one.
Use only secured websites online. If you are buying things online, you need to be absolutely certain that you are on a secured website that has “https:” at the beginning of the web address bar. The is how you will know that you are at a very secured website. You need to be certain that your credit card information in encoded and encrypted so that your information cannot be decoded or deciphered by anyone but the people that are supposed to be getting it. You can also help in this area by having a very secure fire wall, a spyware detection and removal program and an anti-virus program that will alert you to the possibility that a website has a virus on/in it or that you are not safe going to that particular website.
Beware of or disregard e-mails that ask for you personal information. You (and everyone else for that matter) are starting to see more and more e-mails that state that you are the beneficiary of such and such (many different people’s names have been used) or that you have a multi-million dollar inheritance (from someone you do not even know). They ask for your personal information (name, address, birth date, social security number) so that they can “confirm” everything to proceed with the transaction. Do NOT Fall For This Scam!!! All these e-mails are is a Phishing Scam to be avoided at all costs!
Carefully Check Your Credit Reports AT LEAST Once a Year. This is something that is an absolute must for everyone! You need to check your Credit Reports through Equifax, Experian and Trans Union at least once a year! The better advice would be to check your credit reports seasonally (every 3 months) to make certain that you are safe. Be aware that you will need to pay a fee for this.
