Stay One Step Ahead of Your Identity Thief - Part II

As we reported last week, the fastest growing crime in the world today isidentity theft.

This week, in the second and final part of our identity theft coverage, weoffer suggestions to reduce the odds of becoming an identity theft victim:
1. Use a check card, not checks, for public purchases.

2. Have your home mail delivered inside (through a mail slot) instead ofto an outside mailbox. If you have a home office, this is especiallycritical as a shingle advertises to criminals as well.

3. Shred all toss away mail containing personal information (i.e. SocialSecurity number, mortgage data, account numbers...).

4. Check your credit status on a regular basis. (Federal law allows forone free annual consumer credit agency report. There are select serviceproviders, generally affiliated with your banking cards, that offer creditmonitoring on a monthly basis. Fees vary on selected ancillary services;the average charge is $9.95 per month.) Said monitoring will report backcredit provider initiated queries during that 30-day period.

5. Perform thorough employee background checks. (BNI's investigativeexperience has been that identity thefts are far more often committed byknown persons than by strangers.)

While there are no fool proof security measures to ensure one won't becomean identity thief's target, limiting exposure and knowing who is aroundyou can go a long way towards protecting your information and that of yourclients.

Sincerely,

Lina M. Maini
Editor, The Beacon Bulletin
CEO, Beacon Network Investigations, Inc.