Learn to secure your personal information.

1 Check your credit report: Read your credit report from time to time to track any suspicious changes. It’s best to keep tab and resolve issues immediately so that when you need that credit to buy a home or a get a credit card, you know what is on the report.

2 Tear documents after use: Don’t throw out documents with your personal information on it. Shredding documents with any identifying information helps prevent “dumpster diving”. Thieves literally go through people’s trash looking for documents with personal information on it.

3 Be discreet: You should never share your personal or financial details over phone unless you have initiated the contact, in which case you can be sure of the person at the other end.

4 Cancel lost credit cards: Even if you think that you have just misplaced them, it is better to inform the bank or issuer immediately. Every minute your card is missing is a minute a thief could be racking up charges.

5 Wallet check: You should always know what’s in your wallet so that if it gets stolen/lost you may act quickly to stop the thieves from taking all your money. Always keep an extra copy of your licence and cards this can be a saviour at the time of identity theft as you would need to block your cards immediately. 

With inputs from CPP INDIA