I’ve spent a good deal of my time lately taking a long road trip. While I am having a blast meeting new people and seeing new parts of the country, I know that I have to be extra careful to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. One of my biggest concerns is that I haven’t been home in over a month. That makes it easy for identity thieves to change the address on my financial accounts without my knowledge.
To remedy this, I decided to contact all of the institutions in question and have all of my paper statements converted to e-statements. It’s good for them because it saves on mailing costs, and it’s great for me because it allows me to check in from anywhere to make sure everything is on the up and up.
My second concern is theft. I have a lot of belongings in my car, and I want to make sure that I continue to retain said belongings. To do so, not only do I always lock my vehicle, but I also make sure that I park it in a well-lit place – preferably in front of a highly trafficked store or a friend’s house. I put everything of value in the trunk so that it is not in plain view, and I left items such as my passport and Social Security card with a trusted friend. Another good idea is to place them in a safe deposit box.
The third precaution I took was investing in a good identity theft protection plan. I just don’t feel as safe when I’m not on my home turf, so it is important for me to have peace of mind. The protection plan helps insure that if something does fall through the cracks, I can still be relatively safe. I don’t want to become one of the 10 million Americans who are victims of identity theft each year, and I don’t want to be confined to my couch either.
Take some time today to read our reviews (listed in upper right hand side) of the leading identity protection companies.