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ID theft is something that we should all be worried about, so the necessary steps should be taken to make sure our identities are secure. Only you are deeply concerned about making your identity secure, so it is important that you are using common sense to make sure you don’t fall victim to ID theft. Another thing to consider is using an protect your identity service.

Since you are in control of the security of your identity, you should consider following the following suggestions. You might also want to consider making use of a credit identity theft plan.

1. Security of mail: The mail you receive on a daily basis most likely contains a lot of personal information. This includes bank statements and applications for credit cards which can be used to steal your identity. Consider opting out of getting applications for credit and begin to receive your bank statements delivered electronically, which can eliminate a lot of your personal data from the regular mail.

2. Use a debit card in place of credit card: Every time you use your debit card as a credit card, you are making it more likely to have your banking account information get into the hands of a criminal. Remember that purchases made with your debit card cause funds to almost immediately come out of your bank account, so if you fall victim to a criminal, your money could be gone very quickly. Use a regular charge card instead since the money isn’t taken straight from your bank account.

3. Check writing: When you use checks to buy something, you are putting out your checking account number and routing number for anybody to see. This is sometimes the only thing that a thief needs to steal your money. Stop writing checks – use a credit card or pay electronically.

4. Temporary credit card numbers: These days many banks are giving their customers the option to use temporary credit card numbers. You are issued a temporary use credit card number that is then used to make purchases online. This keeps the real credit card numbers away from criminals.

5. Copy records: It is always a good idea to have a copy of all of your banking account numbers, including credit card numbers. Also, you need to keep duplicates of your important documents of personal nature such as your passport and anything else of importance. This information will be necessary if you ever lose any of these documents, or if you ever become a victim of identity theft.

By following the tips outlined above, you are well on your way to protecting your personal information from thieves. One other thing you should think about doing is to subscribe to a identity protection service. This will assist in securing your identity so that identity theft is never anything you have to deal with.