{"id":1042,"date":"2012-08-23T10:24:54","date_gmt":"2012-08-23T14:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myfinancialfocus.net\/mainsite\/?p=1042"},"modified":"2025-08-24T06:38:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T10:38:54","slug":"the-5-ways-protect-your-financial-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myfinancialfocus.net\/mainsite\/index.php\/the-5-ways-protect-your-financial-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Ways Protect Your Financial Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is estimated that between 8 and 10 million American are affected by identity theft each year. Studies show that these numbers increase every year. \u00a0Identity theft is serious business and you need to protect yourself – today.<\/p>\n

There are five quick things you can do to protect yourself and your family from identity theft. \u00a0There are no guarantees in your protection, but you must be vigilant to defend yourself and family.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Be aware of your belongings and protect them<\/strong>. \u00a0Protect your wallet, your purse, your account numbers, your passwords. \u00a0Do not leave these items, and more, laying around and available for others to access, steal, or even simply see. \u00a0I am always amazed at people, primarily females, who leave their purses in a shopping cart at the grocery store and leave an open invitation to anyone to steal. \u00a0They are not doing anything wrong, but they are opening themselves up to theft. \u00a0DO NOT leave your passwords for others to see and DO NOT give your passwords out to people. \u00a0There is a reason they call them PASSWORDS<\/p>\n

2. Don’t go<\/strong> phishing<\/strong>. \u00a0Your bank will not send you an email or call you to ask for your Social Security number or your account number. \u00a0You have already given them that information. \u00a0DO NOT reply to those asking for that information. \u00a0DO NOT click on a link in an email and enter your account number & password. \u00a0Simply leave the email, go to the website you know to be valid, and logon there.<\/p>\n

3. Lock your credit.<\/strong> Did you know that for a small, one time, fee you can lock your credit and no one can access it unless you open it back it. \u00a0This is typically called freezing and thawing your credit. \u00a0Access each one of the three credit bureaus and freeze your credit. \u00a0The cost varies by state, but compared to what it could cost with your identity, it is inexpensive. \u00a0Remember to keep and securely store the “thaw” information that your will be sent. \u00a0You may be required to “thaw” your credit before you can even open a savings or checking account.<\/p>\n

4. SHRED! <\/strong> Anything that has your name, address, account number, Social Security number – just about everything – should be put through the shredder when no longer needed. \u00a0Invest in a shredder to perform that function. \u00a0Shredders, likewise, are inexpensive.<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Monitor your credit report!<\/strong> You can monitor your credit and see what is going on regularly. \u00a0Everyone is intitled to a free credit report each year. \u00a0In some states, you can get more than one free each year. \u00a0The only place you can go and truly pull your report for free is www.annualcreditreport.com<\/a> . \u00a0DO IT TODAY.<\/p>\n

There are places you can pay to insure your identity, but these are five simple things that you can do to protect yourself from being a victim. \u00a0Get started today.<\/p>\n

What else are you doing to protect your identity?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is estimated that between 8 and 10 million American are affected by identity theft each year. Studies show that these numbers increase every year. \u00a0Identity theft is serious business and you need to protect yourself – today. There are five quick things you can do to protect yourself and your family from identity theft. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3,24,22,16,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-banking","category-coaching","category-education","category-encouragement","category-life","category-personal"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 5 Ways Protect Your Financial Identity - Financial Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myfinancialfocus.net\/mainsite\/index.php\/the-5-ways-protect-your-financial-identity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 5 Ways Protect Your Financial Identity - Financial Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is estimated that between 8 and 10 million American are affected by identity theft each year. 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