Identity/Credit Theft-Blogging Scholarship
My advice is about credit cards and bank account. Both of these generate paper records that have your personal information. PIN’s are not that hard to figure out I have found as I have been a victim of identity theft. I found that if you let go of all the extras that come with a bank account and keep it to person to teller interaction at your bank then any thief will have to come into the bank under the cameras to steal from you. Bank websites are another problem as they can be used for phishing, which is the use of spyware to collect your username and password. Some identity thieves even create their own website that looks like the official bank site and emailing it to you pretending to be your bank with a problem and needing you to login immediately. So eliminate bank website use either altogether or to a bare minimum. Credit cards are also easy to use as all they have to do is sign and most places do not ask for identification. Keeping credit cards to pay as you go or pre-paid cards with minor balances, or only balances you will use in the near future, will keep any thief from grabbing a lot if you lose it or it is stolen. Even though this is a little bit more of a hassle the idea is to protect yourself, not make your life easier, for you and a thief. So eliminate bank cards and any major credit cards, invest in a pre-paid card for any large or soon to be needed fund transaction for internet or any other purchase. For banks, go stone-age, no debit cards, no websites, get to know your local teller, she or he can be your best friend if there is a problem with your finances.
This blog was created for the SPENDonLIFE blogging scholarship contest. You can get more information on this contest at http://students.spendonlife.com/blogging-scholarship.
