Identify Theft Prevention

Identity Theft is a serious crime which is prevailing through the world. Unscrupulous elements resort to corrupt activities such as collecting the personal information of individuals, setting up bogus credit cards, bank accounts etc. Their motive is mainly to loot money, cheating the public in a number of ways. Nobody can catch the ‘thief’. None can help the individual. He has to help himself. In his own interest it is good if he takes precautions well in advance so that he does not fall a prey to identity theft. If he is careless, he has to pay for it dearly.
The following are some important points, which if taken care of, will definitely reduce the occurrence of the fraud:
Never throw any paper to the dustbin as it is. Tear it off such that nobody can read any matter. Remember, there are those eagerly waiting to collect the unwanted records from which they can gather wealth of information they want to put the person in soup. Address books, bills, wage slips, diaries etc are only some such items which may look unimportant, but these are exactly what the thief is looking for.
When you receive an email, before opening make sure whether it is from any of your known offices, friends, acquaintances or any genuine source. If not, be careful; it may be bogus. Do not disclose any information. Unless you are sure about the legitimacy of the person speaking to you, never give any detail over the telephone. The same thing applies in the case of post, courier etc. It goes without saying that there are ample ways that the thief can adopt to meet his needs. Note that banks and credit card companies refrain from asking for your accounts and personal details over telephone or net. So if you receive any such query, it must be fake. Delete it from the net and immediately bring it to the notice of the bank or company.
Just make a note of the correct date every month on which you normally receive your bank statements, telephone bills and other necessary documents. If there is any delay during the month, immediately contact the parties. Probably somebody has managed to grab it somehow to take you to task. Mind you, nowadays there is absolutely no security.
If any unexpected mail or credit card details come to you from undisclosed or unknown ends it means that somebody is playing the fool. Do not allow it. Contact the company immediately to find whether your identity has been misused.
When you change your house, ensure that you inform the postal department in writing to redirect all mails addressed to you to the new address. That is not enough. Occasionally visit the post office and your old accommodation to find out whether any mail has been lying there by mistake. You can also take the help of the neighbors.
Periodically check bank statements to ensure that there is no illegitimate withdrawal.
To conclude, in the interest of every individual it is essential to give importance to the proverb “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE.”