My name is Ruth Umphrey and I love to help entrepreneurs, as well as everyday people, achieve their dreams realistically.
Now, I normally would talk about working from home, but today, I want to talk about something I have been through. It is not a nice topic, but it is happening to more people every day. Identity Theft. Back in 2014, I filed my taxes in March. I like to get it done early so I get my refund quick. Only, it was rejected. Stating another return was filed with my Social Security Number. I made a phone call, and it was taken care of for me. October of that year, I had my refund! Whew!
Identity Theft is everywhere. It is on every news station. Many newspapers, and magazines. What was only credit card fraud, has now turned into much worse. You now have, Medical Identity Theft, Drivers License Identity Theft and even Social Media Identity Theft! Learn more here.
People are affected in so many ways, some are missing work, and some are contemplating suicide! Let’s face it. It’s not a matter of IF anymore, but When. It is not only the working people, your children and Senior Citizens are a high risk too. There are scams targeting them all the time!
CNBC recently reported that older Americans lose at least $36.5 billion every year on fraud. While anyone can be a victim, there are a growing number of scams targeting seniors, including identity theft.
- Steps you can take to protect yourself. Being proactive is the best way to protect yourself.
- Do not put any bills you are paying in the mailbox at night. People drive around looking for flags up on mailboxes. They don’t take the mail but will open it, write down the credit card or checking account numbers, and tape it back up. Now they have your information to use as they please.
- Shred every piece of mail that has account numbers on it. Even credit card offers that have promotion codes on them. These numbers are tied to you. They can use this information to open credit cards in your name.
- Never use wireless devices for making purchases or paying bills. Hackers can hack the signal and steal your information.
- Password protect your home router. Make it so everyone who uses your router needs the login and password. People can sit down the road and hack into your router and hack into your computer(s).
- Warning Signs of Identity Theft Here is an article for reference: https://www.identitytheft.gov/warning-signs-of-identity-theft
- Have a monitoring service that also does the restoration. After doing much research, here is a company that has the best services on the market at an affordable price.
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