How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Follow these steps to protect yourself from prying eyes.

Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate - Lowering your interest rate on your credit cards can be as easy as a nice demeanor and a phone call. If you have a $5,000 balance, even a 3 percent rate reduction saves you $150 a year. (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)

1 / 10

Access Denied - Whether someone jacked their credit card number or opened an account in their name, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that more than 16 million Americans experienced identity theft in 2012 (the most recent year for which data is available). Follow these tips to protect yourself and avoid joining their ranks. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)

Read Your Bank Statements - Review your paper statements or register with your bank online and check your digital statements every couple weeks to be sure there is no unusual activity. And if your bank offers a free service that lets you know when odd purchases pop up — say a round of golf in the UK — sign up for that, too. (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Corbis)

2 / 10

Read Your Bank Statements - Review your paper statements or register with your bank online and check your digital statements every couple weeks to be sure there is no unusual activity. And if your bank offers a free service that lets you know when odd purchases pop up — say a round of golf in the UK — sign up for that, too. (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Corbis)

Collect Recommendations and Testimonials - Not just the old school kind, though. Did someone just big you up on Twitter? Reply and retweet, then screenshot it and post it on your website.  (Photo: Stockbyte/Getty Images)

3 / 10

Keep Your Online Info Private - Whether it’s your Amazon account password or your banking info, keep it to yourself. If you use the autofill feature on your personal computer for passwords, protect the entire computer with a master password. And when you’re using public computers or connect to the Internet via public Wi-Fi, do not save your personal info when signing into accounts and be sure to properly log off. (Photo: Stockbyte/Getty Images)

Programmers - Many countries are looking to import programmers and developers including Australia, Ireland, Brazil and the U.K. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

4 / 10

Monitor Your Credit - Thanks to the federal government, you’re entitled to a free credit report from each of the three bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax, Experian — every year. Head to AnnualCreditReport.com to claim them. Best strategy: Stagger them and view one every four months, looking for accounts you didn’t open. Or try a free site like CreditKarma.com, which lets you track your credit accounts and alerts you to changes. (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)

Budget Well - Access to a corporate card isn’t license to go nuts; use it as frugally as you’d use your own. Try to put all business-related charges (meals, taxi rides, gas if you rent a car, client drinks, etc.) on the card to make it easier to reconcile your expenses at the end of the month. To make the most out of your travel, sign up for any offered rewards programs — points can add up to free travel and perks. (Photo: Jim Bourg /Landov)

5 / 10

Use Your Credit Card When Shopping Online - In general, credit cards offer better fraud protection than debit cards. So opt for credit when shopping online; just pay it back ASAP to keep your credit score on point. (Photo: REUTERS/Jim Bourg /Landov)

ADVERTISEMENT
Stop Unsolicited Credit Card Offers - They can contain a ton of your personal info, making them a draw for bold mailbox-checking thieves. But it’s easy to ban them from your mailbox. Just head to OptOutPrescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT.(Photo: Bloomimage/Corbis)

6 / 10

Stop Unsolicited Credit Card Offers - They can contain a ton of your personal info, making them a draw for bold mailbox-checking thieves. But it’s easy to ban them from your mailbox. Just head to OptOutPrescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT.(Photo: Bloomimage/Corbis)

Shred Personal Info - Going green with your statements will help limit the paper you have around with the info identity thieves love, but for the things you do have at home, be sure to properly dispose of them. A cross-cut shredder will turn them into confetti; feed it your bills, account statements and credit card offers. (Photo: Kelly Redinger/Design Pics/Corbis)

7 / 10

Shred Personal Info - Going green with your statements will help limit the paper you have around with the info identity thieves love, but for the things you do have at home, be sure to properly dispose of them. A cross-cut shredder will turn them into confetti; feed it your bills, account statements and credit card offers. (Photo: Kelly Redinger/Design Pics/Corbis)

Don’t Click on Fishy Looking Emails - Phishing is when tricksters send emails that masquerade as official communication from your bank or another reputable company in hopes of prying info out that can be used to steal your identity (and your money). If it seems not quite right, or comes to an account other than the one you used to register, mark it as spam. And no reputable company will ever request for your account or social security numbers via email, so no matter how official a message or linked website looks, do not give up the goods. (Photo: Bloomimage/Corbis)

8 / 10

Don’t Click on Fishy Looking Emails - Phishing is when tricksters send emails that masquerade as official communication from your bank or another reputable company in hopes of prying info out that can be used to steal your identity (and your money). If it seems not quite right, or comes to an account other than the one you used to register, mark it as spam. And no reputable company will ever request for your account or social security numbers via email, so no matter how official a message or linked website looks, do not give up the goods. (Photo: Bloomimage/Corbis)

Lock Up at Home - You might think your info is safe behind closed doors, but that plumber who fixed your sink or your sticky-fingered cousin might be tempted to jack you when you’re not looking. Keep your account statements and checkbooks put away; a lockable file cabinet is a great way to store them when not in use. The same goes for your desk at work. (Photo: Elizabeth Henry / Radius Images) 

9 / 10

Lock Up at Home - You might think your info is safe behind closed doors, but that plumber who fixed your sink or your sticky-fingered cousin might be tempted to jack you when you’re not looking. Keep your account statements and checkbooks put away; a lockable file cabinet is a great way to store them when not in use. The same goes for your desk at work. (Photo: Elizabeth Henry / Radius Images) 

Keep Your Social Security Number to Yourself - Don’t carry your card in your wallet — if you lose it, it can be combined with other info in your wallet to wreak all kinds of havoc. And don’t volunteer it when not absolutely necessary. For example, if you have the option to include it on your driver’s license, pass; every time you have to present it, you could be putting it in the hands of a criminal. (Photo: Tom Grill/GettyImages)

10 / 10

Keep Your Social Security Number to Yourself - Don’t carry your card in your wallet — if you lose it, it can be combined with other info in your wallet to wreak all kinds of havoc. And don’t volunteer it when not absolutely necessary. For example, if you have the option to include it on your driver’s license, pass; every time you have to present it, you could be putting it in the hands of a criminal. (Photo: Tom Grill/GettyImages)