No, I Don't Condone ID Theft and Here's How to Prevent it

People often ask me how I could have written a book about an identity thief when this very real crime impacts millions of innocent people each year. My answer is always the same: "Read the book, then let's talk."

But they're right to wonder, of course. Identity theft is a significant problem costing millions of dollars each year and stealing the financial reputations of innocent people. And here's a new twist: More and more, identity thieves are stealing birth dates and social security numbers from children, and this fraud isn't detected for years. 

In the spirit of preventative action, I offer the following advice and resources to prevent identity theft:

From https://www.usa.gov/identity-theft
Take steps to protect yourself from identity theft:

• Secure your social security number (SSN). Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet or write your number on your checks. Only give out your SSN when absolutely necessary.
• Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information (your name, birthdate, social security number, or bank account number) by phone, mail, or online. 
• Contact the three credit reporting agencies to request a freeze of your credit reports.
• Collect mail promptly. Place a hold on your mail when you are away from home for several days. 
• Pay attention to your billing cycles. If bills or financial statements are late, contact the sender.
• Enable the security features on mobile devices, especially if you have contacts, banking websites and applications saved.
• Update sharing and firewall settings when you're on a public wi-fi network.  Consider using a virtual private network, which can give you the privacy of secured private network.
• Review your credit card and bank account statements. Promptly compare receipts with account statements. Watch for unauthorized transactions.
• Shred receipts, credit offers, account statements, and expired credit cards, to prevent “dumpster divers” from getting your personal information.
• Store personal information in a safe place at home and at work.
• Install firewalls and virus-detection software on your home computer.
• Create complex passwords that identity thieves cannot guess easily. Change your passwords if a company that you do business with has a breach of its databases
• Review your credit report once a year to be certain that it doesn't include accounts that you have not opened. 

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