The Three Ds of Identity Theft Prevention: Deter, Detect, and Defend

Identity theft has already been a serious problem in our society nowadays. Numerous individuals and businesses have been suffering from this crime, investing massive amounts of time, effort and finances just to recover from it. Despite the fact that nobody is totally immune from this devastating practice, it is definitely true that there are several steps that we can take to decrease the likelihood of its occurrence—Federal Trade Commission’s Deter, Detect and Defend.

Deter

Given that identity theft is a spontaneous crime, it is definitely difficult to tell how and when it will take its toll on its victims. From the trash bins of your home to computers of business establishments to file folders of government institutions, it can be concluded that our personal information are virtually available from every corner. Regardless of this terrifying truth, it is still helpful though to accomplish certain steps in order to discourage identity thieves from victimizing you. Protecting your social security number, shredding financial documents and keeping your files in secure storage places are some of the means to increase your protection from identity theft.

Detect

Frequently monitoring your financial reports and billing statements sure is a taxing responsibility. With all the numbers and the lists that come with it, it is usual for someone to perceive it as a burden. Even though it requires a lot of energy and takes much of your time, reviewing your credit reports and financial accounts regularly sure does provide several pros than cons. Detecting fraudulent transactions in the earliest possible time prevents it from getting worse thus controlling the degree of damage it will cause.

Defend

Once you have become a victim of identity theft, every moment that passes by is critical. It is therefore essential to immediately report the crime to appropriate organizations, government institutions and law-enforcement agencies. Notify the three major credit bureaus and have them place a fraud alert on your credit report. It is important as well to contact your credit card companies and close fraudulent accounts. Filing a police report in your local police report and raising this issue to the Federal Trade Commission are equally significant as well in order for you to receive appropriate advice on actions necessary to recover from identity theft.

Rachel Jensen specializes in identity theft protection. One of her favorite websites about id theft is bestidentityprotection.net.