Preventing Identity Theft

Every year, millions of people in the United States are affected in some way by identity theft. Fraud and identity theft are difficult to detect and resolve, and unfortunately many people are more vulnerable than they think. The good news is that there are ways to keep yourself safe and protect your valuable identity and financial information. Here are the five best steps to take to safeguard yourself and your identity.

<h3>Get a Smart Card</h3>

One of the most common forms of fraud involves stealing and using a credit card, and there are few barriers in place to prevent this from happening. With EMV-standard smart cards, however, a microchip embedded in the card adds a more robust layer of protection, generally in the form of a pin number. Though many retail stores have not yet introduced EMV-compliant hardware, that is expected to change by the fall of 2015. In the meantime, smart cards can still be used with older hardware, and the retailer assumes all liability in the event of fraudulent charges.

<h3>Protect Your Smartphone</h3>

Mobile banking, financial monitoring apps, passwords, credit card data and other important information can all be stored on your phone, and it can easily fall into the wrong hands if left unsecured. Be sure that your phone is protected by a unique password, and set it to automatically lock after a period of inactivity. Most phones also have an option to erase all stored data if the password is entered incorrectly several times in a row. Finally, consider using a phone tracking service that allows you to track your phone via GPS and lock and wipe it if it's ever