Protecting Banking Information

Keeping your bank statements safely locked up is a good way to prevent identity theft...

The first and most obvious thing to do to protect your identity is to never leave your purse or wallet unattended anywhere. Whether you are at work, in a restaurant, your fitness club, the shopping cart at the grocery store, even at church. Another no-no is to never leave your purse or wallet visible in your car, even if your car is securely locked.

When you close a bank checking account, destroy all checks. Keep the checks that your bank or credit card company sends you in a safe place at all times, or destroy them if you have no intentions of using them. All financial offers and statements that you receive in the mail should be shredded before putting in the garbage, and kept in a safe place until they are properly destroyed and shredded.

Reconcile all your credit statements and bank accounts in a timely fashion when you receive your statements. Immediately challenge any purchases or withdrawals that you did not make with your bank or credit card company. Another good measure is to limit the number of credit cards and bank accounts that you have and to cancel any inactive accounts.

 

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