Equifax Provides More Details of Hacked Data

Very clearly identity theft is out of our hands. In many ways, this is true. Professional thieves are using very sophisticated tools to penetrate major companies like Heartland. And the breaches like Heartland dwarf the myriad of other breaches going on at the same time.
You cannot eliminate the chance that your identity will be stolen. So is there anything that you can do to minimize your exposure? Well, yes, but it may cut into your lifestyle a bit. Here are ten suggestions:

1. Minimize the use of credit/debit cards. If your information is not out there, it can't be stolen. Of course, checks can be compromised, too, so use these carefully.
2. Carry only the minimal amount of personally identifiable information in your purse or wallet. You don't need to carry your Social Security Number card with you! Remove any extra credit cards or ID cards. Keep these items in a safe place at home or in a safety deposit box. Take note of which cards you are carrying and how to report a theft or loss, should it occur.
3. Close any credit card accounts you are not actively using.
   
4. If you have a debit card that can be used as a credit card, use it as a credit card. There is less liability to you that way, should a theft occur.
5. Get into a habit of checking your expenses at the credit card or bank sites. Make sure you can account for all of the transactions. If you see anything suspicious, get to the bottom of it immediately. Note: there is no such thing as zero liability. If you do not dispute a charge within 60 days, you may be liable for the entire charge!
   
6. Of course, always shred receipts, unsolicited credit card offers, check advances that come with your credit card statements, etc. -- anything that has any kind of personal information on it. Be wary of unsolicited phone calls from people asking for private information; ask to have information mailed to you or say that you will call the company to give the information.
   
7. Pay bills online rather than through the postal mail. But make sure you are using a secured connection ("https" in the URL address). The best way is to pay through your bank's online payment system, so that you are not transmitting your credit card or account information through the 'net.
8. If you do pay bills with checks via postal mail, never put outgoing mail in an unsecured mailbox (such as a rural type with the red flag raised). These are very easily compromised by thieves driving through the neighborhood. Deposit mail at the post office or in a US Postal Service mailbox.
   
9. Get a credit report regularly and review it. You are entitled to one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus annually (go to annualcreditreport.com). Start with Experian. Four months later, request a report from Equifax. Then four months later, request one from Trans Union. This will give you reports staggered over a year, so you will be more likely to catch an unexpected change.
10. Consider paying for a monitoring service. The service bureaus can do this, or there are several independent services. Note: monitoring alone is an after-the-problem-occurs service; it doesn't prevent anything or fix anything. By itself, it just tells you your nightmare has started, but at least you know to start scrambling! All of the major service providers are good, although you will need to carefully check the warranty on each. There are limitations on what is covered and how much is actually done by the provider, should a theft occur. That is why I recommend and sell the Identity Theft Shield from Pre-Paid Legal Services (http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/dkbooth), because it provides a licensed investigator to do most of the heavy lifting, should a theft occur, regardless of the type of identity theft.