How to cut down on ID theft risk
Shred receipts, credit and insurance information, medical records, bank statements, and so on, and lock financial documents and other records in a safe place;
Leave your ID book or card at home. Take only the credit and debit cards you may need and your driver’s licence when going out;
Before you share information at your workplace, a business, your child’s school or a doctor’s office, ask why they need it, how they will safeguard it, and the consequences of not sharing;
Banks will not ask you to verify personal information over the phone or via e-mail. If you receive a phone call or e-mail asking you to verify information, end the call, do not respond and call the bank directly;
If you receive an e-mail asking for personal information, do not hit the reply button or click on any website link in the e-mail. Instead, go directly to the sender’s website by typing in the sender’s website address;
Before you dispose of a computer or a mobile device, ensure that you have deleted information on it permanently and removed the sim card and any other storage devices;
Keep your browser secure by using encryption software that scrambles information you send over the internet. Install antivirus software, antispyware software and a firewall;
Look for the lock icon in website addresses before you send personal or financial information online;
Use strong passwords for your laptop, as well as credit, bank and other accounts. Substitute numbers for some words or letters. For example, “I love my cat twocents!” could become 1lmc2c;
Do not disclose details of your new ID book or passport, plane ticket, driver’s licence or other personal information on social media. Never post your full name, ID number, address, phone number or account numbers in publicly accessible sites; and
Wi-Fi is not always safe. Before you send personal information over your laptop or smartphone on a public wireless network in a coffee shop, library, airport, hotel or other public place, see if your information will be protected.
Consumers who suspect they have fallen prey to identity theft or fraud should report it to the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service so that it can be flagged. This is a free service to consumers. Visit safps.org.za for more information. —