Protect Yourself From Identity Theft…

Step 1 – Shred everything. Even the mailing label on a store catalog can be used to steal your identity. There are three types of shredders; use the ones marked “Security Micro Cut Shredder.” They turn paper into actual confetti and are widely available.

Step 2 – Sign up for a credit monitoring service.  Before you decide which company to use, ask two simple questions: First, does the service monitor all three credit bureaus 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Second, will it notify you in real-time? If they say they’ll mail you a letter every 90 days to let you know if there’s been any suspicious activity, that’s not good enough. The service should cost less than $10 a month.

Step 3 – Put away your debit card. It’s safer to use a credit card whenever you can. By federal statute, you essentially have no liability if someone makes illegal charges on it.

Step 4 – Have two passwords. For online transactions, use on password for shopping and a different one for banking. And make sure to change both passwords once a year.