Moms are often the first and last lines of defense when it comes to protecting the financial home-front. With all they have to do on a daily basis, staying a step ahead of identity theft thieves is just one more thing to consider. As the news has shown in recent years, identity theft is no laughing matter. If anything, it is one expensive matter for consumers to deal with.
As a mother, what are you doing to decrease the odds that you and your family will be the next victims?
Common Sense and Staying Ahead of the Criminals
In order to keep ahead of criminals who are always looking to use the latest technology to accomplish their crimes, moms need to make sure they are doing the following:
- Have protection in place – First and foremost, it is important to have an identity theft protection plan in place. You can opt for provider initiatives like a LifeLock review for starters. Find out which identity theft protection provider best suits your needs in terms of protection, affordability, and not to mention customer service. With the right plan (most providers offer varying plans to meet one’s income levels) for you and your family, you can feel better about your identity security. The goal of any such identity theft protection plan is to always outsmart the criminals;
- Avoid leaving trails of sensitive information around – It is always the simple things that end up tripping people up when they are trying to be financially responsible. Let’s say you go out with the family for a nice meal, use your credit card, and then put the receipt in the garbage can when you get home. Did you think about shredding that receipt? Did you remember to stick your credit card back in your purse or mistakenly leave it at the restaurant? As for shredding the receipt, this is something you should always do in order to destroy financial evidence. When it comes to accidentally leaving your card behind at a restaurant or a store, it just takes literally seconds for someone with bad intentions to get their hands on it, take down the pertinent information (including copying a signature), and then putting their criminal plans into play;
- Computers host a ton of details – Another area of concern is your home computer, along with those computers you use at work and/or in public places. Make sure any computer you use for finance-related work has the proper firewall in place to lessen the chances of identity theft thieves breaking through. With emerging technology, thieves are quick to get their hands on new technology, allowing them to stay one step ahead of both consumers and law enforcement. If you’re in a public library or coffee shop to make an online purchase, don’t walk away from the computer for a minute or two and leave account numbers and other such sensitive details exposed to wandering eyes. Also make sure your kids are not exposing sensitive financial details on your home computers when they get their turn to go online.
Yes, you have a plethora of daily tasks at hand as a hard-working mother.
Make one of them having identity theft protection on your side so you and your family don’t become the next victims.
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