Identity Safekeeping

In a continuing education course I was in yesterday, out of about 70 people, more than 90% had either had their identity stolen and accounts compromised, or knew of someone who had. The presenter was Steve Hernandez from 5th Gear LLC, who kept us on the edge of our seats the entire morning with actual cases and solutions.

He opened by having us take this quiz:

Identity Theft IQ Test
Are You at Risk for Identity Theft? Test your “Identity Quotient” (IQ)
• I receive several offers of pre-approved credit every month. (5 points) Add 5 points if you do not shred them before putting them in the trash.
• I receive one or more phishing emails every month. (5 points) Add 20 points if you do not know what a “phishing” email is.
• I carry my social security card in my wallet. (10 points)
• I carry my military ID in my wallet at all times. (10 points)
• I carry passwords and/or pin numbers in my cell phone, blackberry, palm pilot, or other PDA so I can look them up in case I forget them. (10 points)
• I use the same password/pin number(s) for multiple online accounts, including banking, eBay, Paypal, etc. accounts. (10 points)
• My passwords/pin numbers usually consist of familiar pieces of information like my mother’s maiden name, my children’s names or birthdates, pet names, etc. so I won’t forget them. (5 points)
• I do not have a PO Box or a locked, secured mailbox. (5 points)
• I use an unlocked, open box at work or my home to drop off my outgoing mail. (10 points).
• I do not shred banking and/or credit information when I throw it in the trash. (10 points)
• I provide my social security number (SSN) when asked – without asking questions as to how that information will be safeguarded. (10 points)
• Add 5 points if you provide it orally without checking to see who might be listening.
• I am required to use my SSN at work as an employee ID or at college as a student ID number. (5 points)
• I have my SSN and/or driver’s license printed on my personal checks. (10 points)
• I have not ordered a copy of my credit reports for at least 2 years. (20 points)
• I do not believe that people would root around in my trash looking for credit or financial information or looking for documents containing my social security number. (10 points)

Understanding your score:

100+ points – recent survey indicate that 8-10 million people were victims of Identity Theft last year. YOU ARE GOING TO BE ONE OF THEM! We recommend you purchase a paper shredder, become more security-aware in online behavior and document handling, and start to question why people need your personal data.

50-100 points – Your odds of being victimized are higher than average – even higher if you have good credit.

0-50 points – Congratulations. You have a high “IQ”. Keep up the good work and don’t let your guard down now.

Here are some things to do to protect your identity:
- Do not mail anything with personal information in an unsecured mailbox
- Use online bill pay and e-bills to reduce the amount of sensitive data in your mail
- Only use a debit card for cash advances - use a credit card for any other purchases in restaurants, retail stores, or online. The debit card will provide instant access to your cash; the credit card provides protection and delay through the credit card company.
- Shred with a crosscut shredder anything that contains your name, address or other sensitive data before discarding, including any credit requests you get in the mail.
- Check www.farmersidentityshield.com for more tips, plus daily updates on the latest schemes and tricks ID thieves use.