Preventing Identity Theft

By: AARP Education & Outreach | Source: AARP.org | June 1, 2005

An identity theft can make your life pretty miserable. Victims universally complain that it takes days—or even months or years—to straight out the financial mess created by identity thieves. Sometimes the victim never finds out how it happened. We also know that sometimes there is nothing the person could have done to stop the thief. But there is no reason to hand the theives the tools they need to commit their crimes.

No matter what you do to secure your home, it can be burglarized. But we all still make sure we lock the doors, stop the newspapers, and leave some lights on when we go away on a trip. We don't leave the keys in the car, the windows open, and a laptop computer on the seat when we park our car. We've learned what to do to make our homes and cars less inviting to thieves. Now let's look at what you can do to make your identity less inviting.

In Session 1, you learned what your identity actually is, and how thieves can steal it. In this session, you will learn some things you can do to reduce the risk of your identity being stolen.

Important Pieces of Information About You

Your first step is to make the identity thief's job more difficult. You want to limit the thief's opportunities to piece together bits of information needed to create a new identity.

Think back to the experiences of Janet, John, Maria and others in Session One. What pieces of information were used to steal their identities? Can you think of other essential pieces of personal information that make up your identity that you don't want thieves to get?

Take a moment to write down on a piece of paper at least five bits of information that a thief needs to create a new you.

This information about you can be found in many places. One treasure trove of information about you is in your wallet or billfold.

Do a wallet check

Take a look in your wallet.

How many cards with identifying information about you are you carrying?  You should limit the number of cards you carry. If you should lose your wallet or if your it is stolen, thieves will get fewer bits of information to create a new identity. The more cards you carry, the more information the thief can piece together.

Did you find your Social Security card? Your Social Security number is one of the most valuable bits of your identity. There is no good reason to carry this card at all times. Instead, keep it in a safe place in your home.

Did you find your Medicare card? The identification number on your Medicare card is your Social Security number. Carry this card when you are going to a doctor's appointment or know you will need it. AARP and others are working to change the law to stop Medicare from printing your Social Security number on this card. The Social Security Administration has stopped printing your Social Security number on correspondence and checks. We want Medicare to do the same. If your regular insurance card shows your Social Security number, call the company to ask for a new card with a substitute number. If they won't do it, ask them to change their policy and don't carry the card unless you know you will be using it.

How many cards have your Social Security number? Thieves can use your number to impersonate you and obtain new credit accounts. Check your driver's license to make sure it does not have your Social Security number. If it's there, take a trip to your department of motor vehicles. Most states have stopped using Social Security numbers on licenses. You may need to get a new license. But isn't it time for a new picture anyway?

While you are checking, look at your bank checks. It's not a good idea to have your Social Security number printed on the check. The next time you order checks, make sure you only have your name and address on the checks.          

Quiz: Ways to Protect Your Identity

1. I limit the number of cards with identifying information.
Give yourself 5 points if you have less than five cards in your wallet.
Give yourself 0 points if you have more than 10 cards in your wallet.

 2.  I don't carry my Social Security card in my wallet or billfold.
Give yourself 5 points if you do NOT carry your Social Security card.
Give yourself 0 points if you have your Social Security card in your wallet.

3. I carry my Medicare or health insurance card only when I need it.
Give yourself 5 points if you do only carry your Medicare or insurance card when you need it.
Give yourself 2 points if you carry your Medicare card.
Give yourself 20 points if you got your insurance company to issue you a card without your Social Security number.

4.  I have checked my driver's license and it doesn't show my Social Security number.
Give yourself 5 points if your license doesn't show your Social Security number.
Give yourself 10 points if you got a new license with a substitute number.

5 My Social Security number does not appear on my bank checks.
Give yourself 5 points if your Social Security number doesn't appear.

Now,  add up your score.

What your score means:
If you score above 20, you are reducing your risk of identity theft and guarding your Social Security number. Keep up the good work and read on.

If you score below 20, you need to work on reducing your risk of identity theft. Read on.

Your wallet is not the only place where thieves might get personal information about you to use to steal your identity. In Session Three, we will look in other places where you need to protect your identity from getting into the hands of an identity thief.