Identity theft happens when your personal information is stolen and used to commit fraud. This is a very serious offence that can ruin your good name and credit, and cost you lots of time and money.  

We have to put in place some measures so that we don’t face the problem. Identity thieves can only take advantage of you if they get valuable information from you such as your social security number, your citizenship identity number or equivalent. Here are some pointers on how to protect yourself from this crime, detect it, and report it.  

One of the first things you can do to protect yourself from this menace is not to keep your social security card or any form of identification that has your SSN on it, on your person. Memorize your SSN and keep your Social Security Card in a secure safe at home or at a bank. Do not divulge your SSN to anyone without first knowing exactly what they are going to do with it and how they are going to store and protect it. 

Don't carry any more identification than is absolutely necessary. Also, don't leave the house with all your credit cards. Only carry one, unless you need more to go shopping. 

Never give out personal information on the phone or internet unless you called them. If the other person called you, strictly tell that person that you cannot give out any personal information to a stranger. There are cheap devices available today that can mask the caller ID of anyone. So even though your caller ID says it's your local bank (or utility company, or credit card company) calling that doesn't mean it really is them. In case of suspicion, tell the other person that you will call them back. But, don’t call them back on the same number or the number they give you over phone. You call your bank/credit card company number that you know. 

If you want to call your bank or credit card company, don’t do an internet search for the toll-free number or customer care number. The people are putting fake numbers and optimising them for search engines so that the fake numbers are on top of search results. The best way would be to manually type out your bank/credit card company website address in the browser and get to the contact us page. Otherwise, the toll-free numbers are also listed out on the back side of the credit card or debit card. 

Obtain your credit report from the credit reporting agencies. Some websites give free credit report also. Review your financial accounts regularly, looking particularly for charges you did not make. 

Be very careful with the disposal of your trash. You should invest in a small shredder, so that you can shred any document you wish to dispose of, especially those that may have sensitive information on them such as credit card statements or health insurance forms. When you don’t use shredder, dispose of the trash by manually tearing the papers into very small pieces. 

Never click on an email link. Links can be cloaked. The link text is saying one thing and the link is going somewhere else. 

If you should ever become a victim of identity theft, you must act very quickly and do the following: 

Contact your credit card company and have your credit card(s) cancelled. 

Contact each creditor where your credit has been misused, and inform them about the fraud. Ensure that you follow this up in writing. 

Contact your local police department and report the fraud, and get a copy of the police report/First Information Report. This will be a very valuable document to prove that you are a victim of identity theft and that you have reported the matter to the police. This should therefore protect you from debt collectors. 

So please take care of your personal information. Be alert and immediately report it should you become a victim of this crime.