Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator General
A1 Communications
Cable Techs Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION

First, the bad news.

There is no real way to prevent someone from stealing your identity or swiping financial and personal information, unless you have no bank accounts, credit cards or Social Security number.

Let's deal with the good news. Consumers can take certain solid steps to protect themselves, to make identity theft less likely and to make their financial data less vulnerable.

Here's some key advice.

Do not pay bills by putting a check in an envelope and then mailing it through your own curbside mailbox. A flag up on a curbside mailbox is an automatic signal to would-be identity thieves that there could be documents inside worth taking, experts said.

Similarly, thieves could go through your received mail, too, so stop your mail when you're on vacation and consider getting a lock for your mailbox, or even a post-office box for key documents.

Pick up new checks at your local bank branch, instead of having them sent to you by mail.

When you go through your mail, do not just throw out junk mail, credit-card offers, bills and other documents with any personal information on them. Experts universally suggest buying a shredder to handle them. Don't just cut them up or rip them in half — shred them.

Remember that identity theft goes beyond your finances. Think about protecting your identity everywhere, from the doctor's office to your favorite restaurant, experts said.

And that goes for family members, too, as experts say you should think about your children and, especially, elderly parents, when protecting against identity thieves.

Make sure you have a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on your computer.

Watch out for unsolicited offers and notices by e-mail. Don't open attachments unless you know what they are and who they came from.

Don't click on links in e-mails that offer you the moon or ask you to update information. Many are disguised as coming from your bank or other trusted sites but are really ways to get your personal data. Instead, type in the Web address you know into a new browser to verify the source.

Protect your BlackBerry devices and laptops by requiring a password to access the systems. If you lose or leave them somewhere, no one can use your computer and take information.

And choose all passwords carefully — do not tie them with your birth date or easy-to-guess phrases.

Get a free credit report once a year from annualcreditreport.com. Some experts suggest checking it more often than that, while others point to companies that offer identity and credit-monitoring programs. For a fee, they will do the work for you. Consider putting a security freeze on your credit, which would prevent anyone from opening a new line of credit on your account. Don't do this if you're about to get a mortgage — but it may be a good idea if you're not planning to get new credit anytime soon.

Do not give out personal information to anyone who calls you. Ever. If someone says he is with your credit card company, tell him you'll call him back. Then, get your credit card and call the number on its back. That way, you know you're calling the legitimate company and can check on the truthfulness of the phone call you just received.

Be wary of debit cards. First, they come with a higher liability than credit cards if they are lost, stolen or used without authorization. Secondly, if a thief uses them, he or she could siphon money directly from your bank accounts. Until you get the situation fixed, you'll be taking the loss directly.

And if you use debit cards for shopping at stores or online, your debit card number and PIN is available for the taking.

On a similar note, use bank ATMs, not independent ones located in grocery or drugstores, experts said. And check ATMs by gently sticking your finger in the slot. If the slot moves, it may have been tampered with, said Jay Foley, who heads the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego.

When you shop or bank online, make sure you choose only reputable, known retailers. Check the bottom right corner of the Web site for a small lock icon, says Carnegie Mellon University Engineering Dean Pradeep Khosla, who works with the university's cybersecurity lab. If the lock is locked, it's a safe, encrypted site. If it's unlocked, it's not. (Not all Web sites have this feature, but it's worth looking for.)

Also use a single credit card for all online transactions, and keep its credit limit low.

Keep only a few credit cards in your wallet and keep copies of the fronts and backs of them someplace safe. Check all insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and other identification cards to make sure they do not contain your Social Security number. If your Medicare card carries your Social Security number, make a copy, cut out the last four digits and carry the copy with you, leaving the original at home except when you're seeing new doctors, Foley said

As for your Social Security card? Leave it someplace safe — not your wallet.