Increasing Your Risk Of Identity Theft

Summary: What do you have in your wallet? This is a serious question you need to ask yourself, unless you want to unintentionally contribute to your own case of identity theft. If you're interested in learning why, please, read on. For anyone when it comes to identity theft, it's important that you don't lug around every important personal document in your purse or wallet. Way too many consumers make the mistake of carrying unnecessary personal documents with them on a regular basi...

What do you have in your wallet? This is a serious question you need to ask yourself, unless you want to unintentionally contribute to your own case of identity theft. If you're interested in learning why, please, read on. For anyone when it comes to identity theft, it's important that you don't lug around every important personal document in your purse or wallet. Way too many consumers make the mistake of carrying unnecessary personal documents with them on a regular basis. What types of identification do you need to carry around with you on a daily basis? This varies on what you plan on doing. The overall concept is that you should only carry the necessary credit cards and identification that you need on each particular day. The reason is that in case you lose your wallet or purse, you wouldn't have too much information out there that could be subject to identity theft. You Should Have Only The Necessities For those of you who plan to fly on a commercial airplane in the United States, you need to have your airline ticket, and approved photo identification. Officially sanctioned photo identification would be a valid passport, military id, or state issued driver's license. You don't need to carry all of them. Make sure you have your driver's license if plan to drive a vehicle any time on this trip. Another key is that you store these necessary documents safely so that an identity theft criminal doesn't steal them when you are fumbling with your luggage. Suppose you have to go to your bank, and make a cash withdrawal, a driver's license and your account number is sufficient. Obviously, you don't need the driver's license if you plan to make an ATM withdrawal, but you do obviously need you driver's license if you plan on driving! However if you are starting a new job, you typically need to have an approved photo id and a social security card. If you don't have a social security card, you typically could substitute a voter id card and an original copy of your birth certificate. Each state has different laws, so it would be a good idea to contact your HR department prior to your first day. Again, only carry the required information that you need and nothing else. You shouldn't contribute to your own risk of identity theft by carrying around unneeded documents. Now when it comes to credit cards, most of the times you basically need to carry only one credit card for emergency purposes. It is best to carry a Visa or MasterCard since they are most widely accepted. Make sure that you have a few hundred dollars of available credit on this card. Any credit cards that you have cancelled should be shredded and discarded. If you have credit card accounts that are still open, but you never use, you should keep those at home to reduce your risk of identity theft. Be diligent and watchful to protect yourself and look out for more articles on identity theft.