Tips to Protecting Your Identity

Small shiny piece of plastic – you’re easy to carry around and efficient to use when making purchases. But swiping those cards away is not very budget friendly. I wouldn’t want to swipe away all of my money in purchases, and I definitely wouldn’t want others to spend it either. Hard to believe, but there are people who are out there that can spend your money without you knowing, they are called identity thieves. Don’t freak out! I know it’s scary, but there are ways to protect yourself and let those thieves know that you’re not a gal who they can be easily picked on.

Here are a couple of tips that have really helped me:

Passwords: Toughen up your passwords and don’t use the same password for everything — by using the same password and email over and over again, can create vulnerabilities. Create a password using lower and upper-cases, numbers, and/or symbols.

Social Media: Tighten up your information social media sites —personal information can hand an identity thief everything they need to impersonate you. Keep your full name, maiden name, date of birth, etc. in private mode.

Online Banking: The benefit of you creating your own online account is that it is easier for a hacker to create a new account for you than breaking into an already establish account. Remember to routinely monitor your financial accounts and billing statements for suspicious activities. Setting up your own account with smart passwords, keeps you safer!

If you are smart about how you use your credit card, it can actually help you. Using your credit card wisely can improve your credit score. So, keep your identity safe — deter the thieves for going after you, detect any suspicious activities, and defend as soon as you suspect a problem. A little precaution is worth the time.