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Taking steps now prevents future headaches.
Nobody wants to think about the possibility of having their identity stolen; but in our tech-focused society, it’s crucial to monitor your personal data. Why not use the beginning of this year to implement healthy strategies to help protect your identity and your peace of mind? IDShield's experts provides guidance on putting your security plans into action.
Update your passwords.
Make an overview of the login credentials that you use for your accounts. Do you use the same password across the board? Is it a fairly simple password that a hacker could quickly guess? Now is the time to update those details so that people with bad intentions can’t easily access your important personal information. Use these guidelines to ensure that your passwords are hard to crack:
1. Create long, complex passwords that contain letters, numbers, and special characters.
2. Use different passwords for different accounts.
3. Don’t store your password on sticky notes or other places easily seen by others.
4. When possible, use two-factor authentication so that your phone number, fingerprint, or email address is required as a second step to log into your accounts.
Be cautious when shopping online.
If you're like most people, you probably do a lot of shopping online. Jot down all the websites that offer to store your credit card data while you select your items. Sure, that option makes ordering faster, but that choice could compromise credit card details in a breach. Say no and thank us later. Keep this site list handy and change those preferences every time you open one of your regular supplier websites. And of course, do not save your card number on any more sites.
Be careful what you keep in your wallet.
A lost or stolen wallet equals a massive headache. Just think about all the important personal information that you have in your wallet! Here are a few tips for how to keep it a little safer:
1. When going out, keep your wallet on your person at all times. If you are at the gym or some other place where you need to put down your belongings, use safe storage like a gym locker. When that’s not available, leave your possessions where you can see them.
2. Don’t keep your Social Security card in your wallet. Instead, lock it away in a safe place at home.
3. If you need access to things like membership cards, take photos on your phone and use those pictures instead of storing your cards in your wallet.
Check your credit reports.
You are legally allowed to request a free credit report from each of the major credit bureaus. Take advantage of this ability to double-check your credit. Additionally, your IDShield Benefit helps you track and access your credit score in the IDShield app. We also provide credit monitoring services to monitor what’s important while you go about your daily life.
Clean up your social media reputation.
These days, your social media accounts can say a lot about you. It’s not uncommon for new friends, romantic interests, and even potential employers to review your social media pages as they form opinions about you. That’s why it is essential for your social media sites to reflect the best version of you!
1. Run through your social pages to find anything that may reflect poorly on you.
2. Double-check posts you’ve made, photos you’ve taken, or even pictures other friends have tagged you in.
3. Let IDShield help you manage your social media reputation with monitoring and education.
Keeping track of your account security, online safety, and overall identity monitoring can be difficult. That’s why IDShield is here to do the hard work for you.