Be Smart, Protect Yourself From Criminals Who Want To Steal Your Identity

Have you ever heard or read messages from banks telling customers not to give their account information or debit and credit card PIN to anyone over the internet, via text message or other means as they would never request such information? And even while at an ATM, you are encouraged to protect your PIN from shoulder surfers.

What these banks are trying to protect you from is called identity theft, but then you ask, what is identity theft?

What Identity Theft Is

Identity theft usually involves the use of a person’s personal and identifying information for financial gain or criminal purposes. This personal information could include your biodata, bank account information, credit and debit card numbers. Generally, this information is used to assume a person’s identity, steal their money, commit crime, or incur debt under their name.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

• When using an ATM, make sure nobody can see the numbers you punch in. If somebody is behind you, shield your hand when entering information. Even when paying for a purchase with a debit card, NEVER give your PIN to the cashier, insist on entering it into the POS machine yourself!
• Never give out your personal information whether online or offline. If someone asks for it, ask for a number to call them back so you can carry out background checks.
• If someone asks for sensitive information, ask them why they need it. Find out how will it be used, and what happens to it when they don’t need it anymore.
• Some bank statements still show your full account number. After reading, shred it into tiny, little pieces. You can always get another copy from the bank. 
• Don’t carry your PINs with you, try hard to memorise them. Also, never give your PIN to another person except they are co-signatory to the account, a next-of-kin, or a family member who has proven to be very trustworthy over time.
• Don’t use your mother’s maiden name, your date of birth, 1234, and other easy-to-guess passwords. This information is too easy to obtain and can be used by thieves to access your accounts. Also, do not use the same passwords for all your accounts because if one is breached, the others will be too!
• If you must pay for a purchase online, ensure it is on a trustworthy site. Check the address bar for https and the padlock sign, these tell you that the site is secure. Also, if in Nigeria, check to ensure the site can guarantee that your PIN will be protected by Interswitch and a reputable anti-virus programme. NEVER pay through online third party agents!
• Limit what you carry in your purse/wallet. Instead of putting everything in one place, distribute them between your pockets or wallets so that should you be robbed, you wouldn’t lose everything. 
• Report stolen/missing debit cards, ID card, Voter’s card, bank account details to necessary authorities immediately so they can cancel it or put it in statement.

If you have seen the movie Identity Thief, you would understand how serious this issue is. Not only can you lose all your hard-earned money and credit worthiness to a criminal, it can also put you in trouble with the law. So, be smart!

See Also: What Is the Difference Between Debit and Credit Cards?