Protect Yourself from Social Security Identity Theft
When many of us were younger we were always told to carry our social security cards around in case we needed to produce identification beyond our driver's license. Today it is a whole different story. In the old days pickpockets would target people for the money they were hoping were in the victim's wallet. A fat wallet meant an interested pickpocket.
Today the pickpocket is indiscriminate as they are looking for your social security card more than your case because your social security card can lead to stealing your identity. More criminals are engaging in social security identity theft and all they need is your social security number to get themselves started. The added bonus to social security identity theft is that most people sign their social security cards and now the criminal not only has your social security number but also a sample of your signature as well.
In order to protect yourself from social security identity theft you need to keep a close eye on how you use your social security number. We take for granted how often we write that number down while the social security identity theft criminal counts on us taking that for granted.
The first piece of advice in this new age of social security identity theft is to stop carrying your social security card around with you. It is difficult for people in older generations to change this habit because we are all so used to carrying that card around with us. But in order to protect yourself from social security identity theft you need to leave the social security card at home. This can make filling out job applications a little difficult but the practice of leaving your social security card at home is so commonplace now that employers understand and will work around it with you.
Think Twice Before Using It As Identification
People sometimes do not realize how truly valuable your social security number is and they still use it indiscriminately when filling out applications or producing identification. In order to avoid falling prey to social security identity theft you need to limit the use of your social security number. Never give it out over the phone unless you are completely sure of whom you are talking to and even then you may want to still refuse to give it out. Avoid giving it out on internet sites even though they say they are secure. Protect your social security number as much as you can and try as hard as you can to avoid being a victim of social security identity theft.
