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Avoid identity theft
Imagine waking up one day and finding out that someone else has been using your name, address, and bank accounts to commit frauds and other crimes. How would you feel? Identity theft is a serious crime and it is becoming more prevalent. Victims of identity theft have experienced being unable to apply for loans or jobs. Some are even blacklisted in other countries or punished for crimes they did not commit. That’s why it’s very important to prevent thugs from getting hold of your personally indentifying information. Remember the following:
- Don’t make it easy for thieves to steal your identity. Avoid putting IDs, especially your Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TIN) or Social Security System (SSS) IDs, in your wallet. Leave them locked in a secure place at home.
- Thieves may scour for your credit card bills, bank statements or ATM receipts in trashcans or dump sites. Shred these documents before throwing them away. Completely destroy old credit cards before discarding them.
- Avoid giving out personally identifying information over the phone or the Internet. Some thieves may pretend to be representatives of banks or other legal entities to mislead you into giving away information. You may also receive official-looking emails that urge you to go to a site to type in passwords or update your account information (also known as phishing). Some websites are hacked to redirect the visitors to a bogus site (also called as pharming). Double check by calling the company’s office. On the Internet, interact only with a secured website whose address starts with “https” and not with “http”. It would also have a padlock icon on the lower right corner of the page.
- Monitor your bank accounts. Check your billing statements carefully and look out for irregular purchases.
- Skimming is another way for thieves to get your information. It uses separate swiping machine that stores all your credit or debit card’s information for later use. This is also used in ATMs. Watch your card when swiping in counters and alert management for any suspicious behavior. Check if the ATM appears tampered.
Protect your identity at all times. It always pays to be careful.
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