5 Things To Do Today If You Are Scared Of Having Your Identity Stolen (& You Should Be)

1. First, Use This Tool To Destroy Physical Data
2. Then, Immediately Get a Password Manager (Free)
3. Next, Get Someone In Your Corner
4. Lastly, Securely Backup Your Documents
5. Bonus Step - Constantly Monitor Your Identity

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Losing your identity to a criminal is devastating.

Unfortunately, this is happening to millions ever year and there are simple things you can do to lower your chances. Just like locking your doors at night, being cyber safe is something that you need to do yourself. 

The following steps are simple steps everyone can make today to reduce the chance of identity theft. Each tip provides you with better protection and keeps you safe online.

First, Use This Tool To Destroy Physical Data

Have you thought about how much of your personal information is printed on paper bank statements and bills? Even junk mail gives a way lot of information as companies buy this from a genuine source. 

Scammers love to get dumps of paper and sort through to assemble names, addresses, bank account names (and even just brands), dates of birth, family member names, insurance company names, pet names and many other things. 

The sad truth is a quick look through your trash could reveal all sorts of information that identity thieves could use.

For under $200, you can buy a paper shredder to destroy information. The Bonsaii Evershred is a good all-around shredder that allows you to shred up to 14 sheets at a time and can be delivered to your door. Security step importance: 5/5. 

The Bonsaii Evershred is under $200 and is available here.

 

Then, Immediately Get a Password Manager (Free)

Passwords just can't be kept secure as we require so many of them and we all know that the easiest thing to do is re-use passwords in someway, even just parts. 

Big mistake. 

Whenever you see the news of a data breach, think about what happens if your password is stolen. If you reset it quickly, it feels like a 

Have you thought about what would happen if a hacker was able to figure out your passwords? Have you been frustrated because you can’t remember a password and you have to reset it?

Having unique and secure passwords is one of the smartest ways to protect your valuable information and money. It takes less than 30 minutes to set up 1Password, and you will not only be able to increase your security, you will never waste time resetting passwords that you forgot again.

1Password helps you generate super strong passwords and then stores them in a secure vault that only you have access to. 

We recommend 1Password as either free or paid accounts

(but also try Dashlane, or Nordpass)

Next, Get Someone In Your Corner

If you are connected to the internet and not using some kind of virus protection, you are leaving yourself vulnerable. All the big companies run virus protection on their systems, so who is in your corner to protect you? 

There are plenty of options and an easy anti-virus software tool called McAfee Total Protection works on both PCs and Macs. It is easy to install and works in the background to keep your computer safe from threats.

You should also keep your computer’s operating system up to date as the latest versions usually include protection against new viruses. Security step importance: 5/5. 

McAfee Total Protection lets you install security on every device in your household

Lastly, Securely Backup Your Documents

With ransomware attacks a common criminal exploit (where hackers lock your computer), you need to have a back up plan. Many people have little choice when it comes to ransomware on their computer and that is to pay the fee to the hackers. But, are they really gone for ever when they unlock your computer or are they waiting to lock you up again. 

You are going to want to make a clean start and having everything backed up will make that easy. 

While backing up sounds tedious, the great news is it is actually pretty easy with a service called Sync.com. 

Having peace of mind knowing that your documents are backed up, and safe is priceless. It is quick to set up, easy to access from any computer, and you know that your most important information is safe.

Sync.com is simple and keeps working in the background

(alos try pCloud)

Bonus Step - Constantly Monitor Your Identity

One thing that can help you beat an identity theft is to get alerts on suspicious activity as it happens so that you can quickly address the breach to prevent the spread. 

Many site like CreditKarma and Equifax offer free reports but you will be best protected with a dedicated identity protection plan from a specialist site. 

This step will ensure that you genuinely have the best prevention service available and is worth the investment. There are about the same number of home invasions per day  in the US as there are identity thefts. We invest in insurance, security systems and other protection against home invasion so we should think similarly about identity protection services. 

Identity Force provides comprehensive monitoring and alerts plus email, chat and phone support