How to Know If You’re a Victim of Identity Theft

Identity Theft

How do you know if you’re a victim of identity theft? Here are some pointers that might help:

Make it a habit to check your bank accounts and credit card accounts. Ask for bank statements and credit card statements and reports. Make sure to this at least every month. Check for unauthorized withdrawals and purchases. You can also check if new accounts have been made or if there are credit inquiries that you didn’t initiate.

Verify all the mail that you’ve been receiving. Be on alert if you’ve been receiving approvals and applications for credit cards or loans. Same goes if you do not receive any expected mail from your bank or credit card company.

If you’ve been receiving unusual phone calls such as those that are soliciting loans and credit, or those asking for recent applications to credit cards, health insurance and others, then make inquiries. If you didn’t initiate them, then somebody else might have.

If all of these happen, or if your credit card or passbook, or checkbook, or any document that contains information regarding the above, then act ASAP. Call your credit card company or your bank and have your accounts canceled or changed.

In the future, protect yourself by shredding sensitive documents and by choosing carefully to whom or to which (i.e. websites for online transactions) will you disclose such sensitive information.