October 12, 2022
Identity Theft is no Trick or Treat
What are you dressing up for this Halloween season? Will you embody the identity of a witch, a doctor, a ghost, or a goblin? Do you offer a trick or a treat to those on your doorstep? Overall, it’s a spooky holiday filled with fear, horror movies, and a questionable blood-orange punch. In fact, it’s the one holiday a year where it’s acceptable to pretend to be something or somebody you’re not.
On any other given day, it’s important to take precautions against people who like to take the identity of someone else outside of Halloween. This brings us to the dangers of identity theft; a crime where someone else tries to be you while stealing all your private information such as your SSN number, credit card information, and more. To help keep your identity safe, we’ve provided 3 tips to stay on top of protecting yourself and those around you!
Tip #1: Never Leave a Paper Trail
When you get gas do you take your receipt after? How about having your bank statements mailed? Do you simply just throw away your pill bottles with the label still on? If one of these statements is familiar to you, you are at risk of leaving behind a paper trail and becoming a victim of identity theft. Having hard copies of important documents can definitely be beneficial and may be the way you prefer to organize things. But we advise paying very close attention to any important physical documents you keep so they don’t get into the wrong hands and give you and your family a scare. Leave the spooky tricks to the Halloween season.
Tip #2: Secure Your Email
In today’s digital age, a lot of people direct everything through personal or work email. Modern society has transitioned to doing more physical tasks online. With this, there can be a lot of confidential documents coming through email such as credit card forms, contracts, receipts, medical referrals, etc. It’s important to maintain proper security on your email to ensure your personal information is not leaked, leaving you exposed to the possibility of identity theft.
You may also be subscribed to various retailers that run online promotions via email. Typically, these online promotions run seasonally, which means you could see an increase this Halloween season. Be sure to not click on anything that isn’t familiar to you as it could be spam or someone trying to gain access to your personal information in order to commit identity theft.
Tip #3: Destroy Personal Records
If you have any physical documents or records that contain confidential information, be sure to consult with an information destruction company like PROSHRED® Security. Our company is an industry leader in on-site shredding services helping you securely safeguard your private information and protect you from identity theft.
Leave the spooky season to Halloween and protect yourself and your loved ones from criminals looking to steal your identity. Instead of a trick, PROSHRED® provides you with a treat, so you don’t have to worry about any information security breaches. Call us today to learn more about our services and the importance of protecting your proprietary information.