About National Identity Theft Prevention & Awareness Month

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National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month seeks to raise awareness of how easy it is to become a victim during the busy holiday shopping season.

Laws and technology have difficulty keeping up with the ingenuity of criminals. Identity theft and common theft are really, and regaining your reputation once you fall victim can take over a decade.
Precautions include:

Never let your card out of sight, including stores and restaurants.
Carrying cards in a wallet that has RFID-blocking technology
Not using exposed ATMs—opt for ATMs inside stores or banks
Setting up bank alerts for all transactions on all your cards, credit and debit
Shredding bank statements and papers with sensitive information
Keeping passwords safe
Not surrendering your national ID information number freely
Taking the garbage out in the morning rather than the night before collections

For example, many organizations ask your social security number on boilerplate forms in the United States. Only government entities, organizations paying you and withholding taxes, and creditors need it. If you're not applying for credit and the document or organization is not tied to government services or taxes—other organizations do not need your number. Leave the line for social security number blank, including job applications prior to an offer. It's none of their business until they are paying you.

Particularly when traveling, never use a street ATM. Always use one inside a bank or within a hotel in view of the concierge. Unsupervised ATMs are prime targets for thieves who place recorders on the back and capture all passwords and card numbers. Then they wait about six to eight weeks and quickly drain your account in minutes. Bank alerts on debit and credit cards will allow you to catch this before too much damage occurs. It's inconvenient but not disastrous.

You can take the above steps to help guard your identity, your money, and your future.