Financial wellness firm Four Seasons Financial Education today announced five tips to help protect against ID theft. These tips are provided to companies and their employees as part of an overall financial wellness program.
"It's amazing how creative some ID theft strategies have become," says Four Seasons President, Travis Freeman. "It's too bad those creative minds aren't used for good. We hope these tips will help anyone willing to listen."
1) Consider opting out of credit card offers - Tired of receiving those pre-approved credit card offers? Visit optoutprescreen.com to request that you be removed from these mailers. ID thieves prefer to steal from someone with decent credit. Taking your mail may be a great way to find this out.
2) Destroy old printers and computers - You probably knew that information can be stored all over your computer, but you may not have known that printers can store data too. If you have scanned personal information on a printer or scanner, that data may be stored inside the device. Have a pro wipe the memory clean before selling or disposing.
3) Use the FREE credit report- It only takes five minutes and costs nothing; visit annualcreditreport.com to check your report for free. By law, you can check it once every 12 months at no cost.
4) Shred everything - Yes, we mean everything. ID thieves can't steal your ID if they don't have your data. Even a statement with little personal information can be used to build a database against you. This data is then sold through the online "black market" to thieves that know how to use it.
5) Watch your statements like a five year old - Children need constant monitoring. Your credit is no different. ID thieves may "test" you by stealing a small amount of money at first. If they aren't caught, they know you aren't paying much attention. Check your financial transactions thoroughly at least once a week.
About Four Seasons Financial Education
Four Seasons Financial Education provides workplace financial wellness and education services to companies throughout the US to help them improve their bottom line. We take a strictly academic approach to financial education and focus on the core areas of personal finance which may help increase employee productivity and organizational performance. Securities, training and financial planning services are offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC.
