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Scoring Your Risk
Compare your score to the following:
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Score |
Rating |
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0
– 5 |
Excellent |
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5
– 8 |
Very Good |
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9
– 12 |
Average
Risk |
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13
– 17 |
Very Risky |
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18
and up |
You
need help–Now! |
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Step
2. Examine each risk and decide
what to do.
- SSN. If you ever memorize one number in your life, this is
the one. This is not something to lose under any circumstance. This
number combined with your driver’s license is all an Identity
Bandit needs to destroy your credit rating. Take this card out of
your wallet or purse and put it away in a safe place
- Health Insurance card with SSN. Most people know that Medicaid
and many other insurance companies use your SSN as an identification
number. Call and ask to be issued a new number or memorize your ID
number and leave the card at home.
- PINs. If you need to write down the PINs for your Credit
Cards or ATM cards you are potentially giving your money away if you
ever lose control of your wallet or purse. If you have too many numbers
to memorize, consider changing all of them to one number or better
yet, close the accounts that you don't use regularly.
- ATM. More than two ATM cards? Do you really need to carry
more than one? Remember that this card gets real cash out of
your checking/savings accounts, with only a four or five digit PIN
protecting your money. !Should you lose it, call the bank/credit union
immediately to cancel your account number and get a new card issued.
- Credit card, debit card, phone cards. More than five credit
cards? If you lose your wallet or purse someone will strike it rich.
The typical thief will try to run up charges very quickly so be prepared
to call and cancel all of your credit cards. Most credit card companies
limit your liability to $50 on a lost or stolen card, if you report
the loss within 48 hours. Better yet, try to live with only one card
with limit set at $500.
Personal or business phone charge cards can be used by a thief to
run up big bills to 900 numbers. Call and cancel them quickly. Prepaid
phone charge cards are also a hot item. They don't have a PIN for
protection. Don't carry cards with a large time limit.
- Receipts. Record the information on the same day as your
transaction. Then destroy the document. Do not discard it at the ATM
site or leave it in the machine for someone else to pickup. Remember
that credit/debit card receipts contain your account number. Be sure
to shred them when you have compared them to your monthly statement.
- Checks. Your checks contain the number for your checking
account and the number for your bank or financial institution. These
numbers can be used for many Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) transactions
over the Internet or the telephone. That way a thief can get funds
from you without ever trying to forge your signature. Remove them
immediately.
If you carry a checkbook in your purse, be sure to know the number
series of check you are working with. That way you can call the bank
and put a stop payment on just those few checks rather than closing
your account should you lose control of your checkbook.
- Driver's license/State ID cards. This is your prime picture
identification card. Using the data on a stolen card, a person can
get a new one issued, by the State, in your name with their picture
on it. Remember, thieves also have your home address from this card.
They may plan an unexpected visit to your home when you are away.
Report stolen or lost cards immediately to the state department of
motor vehicles and the local police.
Most states require you to carry both an auto registration and an
insurance certificate. If you carry these in your wallet or purse,
be advised that the thief now has your car make, model, and license
number. Report this loss to your state department of vehicle registration.
- Investment accounts. These cards allow you to inquire about
your Stock Broker Account for your investments on the web or on the
phone. They are especially dangerous if you record your account number
and PIN on the wallet card. Keep this information under lock and key,
not in your wallet or purse or you could be giving away your lifetime
investments.
- Emergency Notification Card with Spouse Name. This is a source
for additional personal information needed to steal your identity
such as your spouse's first name and your home phone number. Consider
just listing your spouse’s first name and phone number without
identifying a relationship or a home address.
Other items.
Government ID cards, building security identification
cards (the ones that get you in the door at work or a secured parking
area) are also in high demand. Be sure to notify the issuing party if
they are lost or stolen.
Spare house or auto keys can be used by a thief
to follow up with a visit to your home or car. If the thief has your
address and a key, you could be in a world of trouble. Consider changing
the locks on your house if you lose your keys.
Personal business cards can give the thief information
on where you work, your job title and your business phone number. You
might consider notifying your human resources office of your lost wallet
to be alert to unusual phone checks on your employment.
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