Identity theft – the crime that isn’t going away

Jax Nixon, Missouri’s Attorney General, in an article with the above title has stated “Identity theft has been in the news consistently for the last several years, and what we know about this crime continues to change. Each year there are new statistics, threats discovered and sales pitches offering everything from insurance to credit monitoring to shredding services.  So let me try to clear a few things up, cut through the clutter and give you the basic information the savvy consumer needs.”

The article offers the following five preventative steps:

Never give out your personal information (Social Security, credit card or bank account numbers) to anyone who contacts you. Only give that information if you have initiated the contact.

Shred documents with personal information before throwing them away.

Send sensitive mail, such as bill payments, using a locking drop box (like those offered by the post office), rather than your curbside mailbox.

Carry only the documents and credit cards you need on a daily basis, in case your purse or wallet is stolen.

Opt out of pre-approved credit card offers at optoutprescreen.com or 888-5OPTOUT. This cuts down on the number of cards and account numbers being generated in your name.

(source: ago.mo.gov/consumercolumn)