Ellen PhillipsSeveral readers have asked for more information about protecting themselves from identity theft. As I’m speaking to the Scenic City Friends next week about ID theft/fraud, it seems an ideal time to piggyback on last week’s column with some expanded info.
According to Senior Digest News, a person’s identity is stolen every two seconds. The U.S. Department of Justice tells us that in 2012 Americans suffered $24.7 billion in ID theft loss — and that is just for reported cases.
It’s imperative we use any method possible to stop these creeps before we find ourselves the traumatized and impoverished victim. (Note: Florida, Georgia and Nevada are the top three states for fraud per capita; Florida, Washington and Oregon are the top three for ID theft complaints.)
Past advice has included shredding confidential documents, using pass codes to lock smartphones, laptops and tablets, and never carrying your Social Security card. Because thieves now use more advanced techniques to financially mess with us, we must think smarter to stay one step ahead.
Take, for instance, leaving one’s purse or wallet in the car, locked or not — 19 percent of Americans ages 18-49 admitted to leaving these possessions in their locked car over a week in December. Think of the wealth of information thieves could retrieve — it truly boggles the mind.