Here are some savvy tips for protecting your identity from theft in these modern days. You have to know how to protect yourself against identity theft by paper or post mail, email or electronic, and/or by phone! Outlined below are some of the best practices to follow:

1. Beware of email phishing scams that can infect your hardware or software with a virus, destroying valuable information or rendering it unavailable possibly for ransom. They often use familiar names or emails of friends or colleges that you may know, so “carefully hover” your cursor/arrow/pointer over the link “without clicking it” to explore the URL… it should have your friends or colleges government name, nick name, their favorite car name or place they like to visit, AKA etc…, but it should not consist of a bunch of random, irrelevant letters, numbers, and characters that are displayed in the URL. Email scams are getting more efficient & some URL’s will actually display some relevant information to the name of your friend or college, but they will usually still be mixed in with some oddities as stated above, so be diligent & take a good look at any suspicious emails URL’s that you receive “before you click the link.” Note: Once you click that “bogus link”, it is usually already too late, & the virus is in the system & will compromise it in some way now or in the future.

2. Shred documents with sensitive information on it that you no longer need in a diamond cut shredder. Store documents that you need… in a small to medium size, file cabinet with a locking key for safe storage.

3. Avoid IRS scams. The IRS will almost never call you directly demanding a payment & threatening you with jail time without extensive prior communications preferably by letters in the post mail, “their preferred choice of communication.”

4. Dodge phone scams that try to get your personal information. Never give out your Social Security number or credit/debit card number over the phone to a source you don’t trust. Never verify your information past the last 4 digits of your Social Security number or credit/debit card numbers, or worst yet, never correct them by accidentally giving them the right information in full or to more completion while they phish for the rest on the information on the dark web to complete the identity theft. Note: This is a reverse information phone phishing scam. The scammers knowingly give you false or partial information over the phone asking you to verify it hoping that you blurt out the correct information on a phone call that is usually recorded. Ex. “No, that can’t be my order because my credit/debit card number is…”

5. Setup a personal pin or password on all devices with personal information. In addition, layer a timeout feature on top of that, so if your computer or phone is inactive for a short period of time it requires your pin or password to reactivate & access your information.

6. Check your credit report from the 3 credit bureaus Experian, TransUnion, Equifax for any suspicious activity. “You are allowed one free credit report a year from each credit bureau.”

7. Review your bank account & credit/debit card statements monthly and reconcile any differences or report ID theft if it is evident.

8. Check if your identity had been stolen by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) or go to: www.identitytheft.gov/ To order a copy of your Social Security Administration earnings & benefits statement, or to check whether someone has used your Social Security number to get a job or to avoid paying taxes, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/statement/

9. Have a Federal & State Tax Investigation performed by a professional service.

10. If you are receiving receipts by post mail or email for something you didn’t buy, or credit/debit cards by post mail for accounts that you didn’t open, is almost a “certain sign” that your ID has been stolen & your financial future is being compromised…

“Please share with a friend or family member to help keep them protected!”

In Trust,

Ashley Thomas, EA, CEO