How to Prevent Identity Theft of September 2024

Identity theft is one of the most alarming yet under-discussed problems affecting American consumers.

ElitePersonalFinance has created a list of 100 ways to prevent identity theft. Let’s start with the top 10 important of them.

We have even gone as far as to break up our advice into sections, in case you want to jump to some tips that are more likely to help you:

100 Ways To Can Prevent Identity Theft

Without further ado, here’s our ultimate list of identity theft prevention tips!

Section 1 – How to Prevent Identity Theft Completely

Anyone can become an identity theft victim. It takes a lot of work to ensure your identity is as safe as it can be. So, let’s look at how to prevent identity theft completely in the easiest ways possible. The following tips will apply to all, regardless of age and profession.

1) Put a Credit Freeze on Your File

Some people just wait until the damage is done to put a credit freeze on their credit file. This is not a mistake you should make; you have the right to request a ‘freeze’ on your file at any time. By doing so, you will make it so that you are required to verify (by phone) whenever you want your credit file to be shared with a specific party. This remains active until it is reversed.

Learn more about credit freeze and how to place it.

2) Place a Fraud Alert

Aside from the credit freeze, there’s also a ‘fraud alert’ that can be placed on your credit report. This will notify lenders that your identity might have been compromised. This is a way of warning creditors to be weary when dealing with your info. It does not prevent any new or current lenders from pulling your file, but it’s always good to have — especially if your information has actually been stolen.

Learn more about fraud alerts and how to place them.

3) Get Identity Theft Protection Service

A lot goes into making sure your identity stays safe. The different protective layers necessary are varied and many. Your age, household status, and workplace can be what measures you to keep your identity safe. Meanwhile, an identity theft protection service wraps all possible methods of identity protection into one product. This can protect any adult; many top service providers even offer child protection plans for your little ones!

ElitePersonalFinancere reviews various identity theft companies. You can get a full run-through on what’s available by checking out our review piece: the best identity theft protection companies of September 2024.

4) Get Credit Monitoring

Identity theft protection services are helpful because they cover almost every possible entry point an identity thief could use. Yet, they do not cover the all-too-important factor of credit protection. People can steal your identity without leaving a trail; instead, the criminal could manipulate your identity to commit credit fraud. To catch this quickly, you need to invest in credit monitoring services.

Supposing you are interested in identity theft services, most big companies offer bundled plans that include credit monitoring. You can check our review of the best credit monitoring services of September 2024 to find the best plans with and without ID protection features.

5) Create a Wallet Backup

While you cannot literally back up your wallet (unless we’re talking about Bitcoin wallets!), you can still keep a digital or written copy of everything it contains. When doing this, you should write down the card number, type, and any relevant contact numbers for their support lines. This makes it easier to prevent your identity from getting stolen if your wallet or purse gets lost or taken.

Sounds like a hassle? It has to be because a wallet backup mobile app has security concerns.

Things to list: Credit cards, identification, medical cards, insurance cards, documentation, etc. Anything that reveals your full name, date of birth, current address, Social Security number, or any of your ID numbers should be viewed as dangerous info in the wrong hands!

Pro Tip. If your wallet gets lost or stolen while traveling abroad, you can report it to the Department of State by calling 1-877-487-2778 … this is a government-run organization that can help you, especially if you lost your passport and can’t get back home.

6) Make Sure You are not Already a Victim

You might have your sensitive information accessible on the Web, yet you just don’t know it. The damage could happen right after it gets released or months to years later. For instance, you could be one of the many million Americans who had their data breached in a website hack. This has happened on big sites like Ashley Madison, LinkedIn, MySpace, VK.com, and many others.

There is an easy way to see if your information is out on the loose. Just go to HaveIBeenPwned and search for your email address to find out.

If your information is on the loose:

If your information isn’t out on the World Wide Web:

Take it a step further and set up alerts, so you can find out instantly if your sensitive data reaches the Web!

To subscribe, just select the “Notify me when I get pwned” button after searching for your email address. Then go to your email and confirm your subscription, and you’ll be good to go.

7) Use Online Payment Methods (and Wallets)

Paying through PayPal gives you extra security, as the recipient does not receive your credit card information. Yet, you can go further by using an online wallet like Google Pay or even Bitcoin to secure your payment credentials. The alternative payment world is growing, and soon there will be no reliance on the old card payment system. This is something you should always keep an eye on because the flawed state of today’s credit world desperately needs to be fixed.

So if you are paying by credit card, your best bet is to first look for the option to pay via PayPal with your card. To do this, you need to look for the following option:

8) Shred Any Documents You Don’t Need

You should get into the habit of shredding your unneeded paperwork regularly. A paper shredder is not a big investment. Plus, you might even have the option of enjoying the departure of your bills and other nuisances by burning them in a fire pit. Either way, the point is that you do not want your personally identifying information to make it into the trash.

Seriously, shred your paperwork – previous statistics show that as much as 88% of stolen personal identifying information came from criminals rooting through the trash.

Again, another simple item from an office supply store or your nearest Walmart would be this:

What to shred?

• Junk mail.
• Unneeded receipts.
• Unneeded utility bills.
• Monthly bank/investment statement.
• Annual pay stubs / other employment documentation.
• Loan contracts.
• Rental contracts.
• Service contracts.
• Warranties.
• Car and home repair records.
• Membership documents.

9) Keep Your Documents off The Computer

It’s often necessary to store personal files on the computer, especially when building spreadsheets for tax purposes. Most information is never reviewed again and could just be deleted from your computer after being used the first time. If you are weary, just get a USB stick to store your personal documents on. You do not want to store personal information over the long term on your main computer, as it essentially becomes a treasure chest for hackers.

Invest in one of these to store your important stuff (and not cloud storage, the most breachable storage ever!):

USB stick that works too!

10) Obtain a Copy of Your Credit Report

If you are not proactive with tracking your credit file, now would be a good time to start. This means more than just getting credit monitoring assistance; take the time to obtain and review your credit report. Look for any discrepancies, stuff that looks inaccurate or fraudulent, and make the error known to the credit report bureaus.

Be careful, as information must also match your credit reports from the three main bureaus, including Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

You can easily obtain your credit report for free through AnnualCreditReport once a year. If you space out your requests by the bureau, you can get one of your reports every four months of the year.

11) Don’t Share Your Personal Information Online

It sounds like common sense, but more often than not, victims put themselves in that position. We covered how social media helped identity thieves, and the exemplified cases would astound you in a recent post. Some were so unacknowledged that they shared their credit card, social security number, and even bank checks on the Web.

It does not matter if you use Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You should not ever assume that your personal information is private. Even in your private inbox, if a hacker ever breaks in, there could be endless identifying details about yourself that were not deleted. So, don’t just use common sense. Go the extra mile and keep your private stuff to yourself!

We’ll cover more advanced tips on protecting your social accounts later in this guide, in our section on protecting your identity online.

12) Avoid Giving out Identifiable Information to Other People

In the identity theft world, any details a criminal can use to target you are personal identification information. This includes details like your banking information, credit card details, driver’s license and health card numbers, and your social security number. In most cases, the person or website requesting it does not need the information.

You can be your own judge, as it’s often obvious when your information should be given out. If it’s just to hook up a cell phone, your social security number is not necessary. If a credit check is ever required, you should be able to please the other party enough with a valid photo ID and one other credit card. Basically, to prevent identity theft, social security number is something you should never give out.

Also, maintain a list (with dates) to track when and to whom you gave any personal identifying information. This makes it a lot easier to find the culprit if you ever become the victim of identity theft.

13) Download an Antivirus Program

Many free anti-virus programs work well, whether you run a Chromebook, Mac, or Windows computer. Download one and make sure you keep your computer child-safe if there are children in your home. For example, if all your kids are young, make it so the administrator’s password must be entered to download anything. Further, maintain any personal documents on an administrator account and ensure no one has access to it.

14) Get Bank Monitoring

The last important paid service to make sure you have is bank monitoring. This consists of setting up alerts that trigger once your bank accounts are potentially used fraudulently. You cannot find this level of protection in every identity theft + credit monitoring package.

15) Limit Public Wi-Fi Use

Any public wireless network, such as at a hotel or restaurant, should be used with caution. As open networks are easier to hack into, it’s possible that a criminal could gain access to your computer, smartphone, or tablet. As such, you should not ever use a public network for online banking and payments or for any other accounts that involve your personal details. Plus, make sure you always delete the browsing history and cookies after using a guest computer or network.

16) Invest in a PO Box

Investing in a PO Box at your local post office is a great idea. This way, you do not have to worry about who sees your mail. There are no longer concerns of a neighbor or random person intercepting postage that contains personal identifying information. After all, stealing mail is one of the most common ways thieves get the information they need. It might be a bit of a pain, but considering the sensitive information that comes through the mail, it’s a smart investment.

Don’t know about PO boxes? They’re at your local post office and probably cost around $3 to $20 a month. So why not?

17) Invest in a Safe

It’s a good idea to purchase a safe for your personal items, whether they are documents or fine jewelry. A simple yet crack-proof and fire-resistant safe is best, and they do not run much more than $100 at entry-level. You can use this to keep any sensitive items, such as your passport and your social security card. This is especially valuable if you ever have a babysitter or cleaner in your home or if you just have many people passing through over time.

18) Limit Your Charitable Donations

Never donate a penny by phone. Always make sure to check the charity’s BBB rating and search online for terms like “charity name + forum” and “charity name + scam” to get an idea of the charity’s legitimacy. While many are trustworthy, some are just looking to pocket your cash. Fraudulent organizations will also take your personal information and credit card details to commit identity fraud in the worst cases.

19) Protect Your Kids

It’s important to secure both your and your children’s identities. After all, the estimate is 10.7% of minors have had their social security number used without their knowledge. This could be done by a relative trying to hook up utilities after getting cut off on their own or for financial gain. Regardless, an identity theft add-on for minors will ensure your children’s identity stays safe.

Section 2 – How to Prevent Student Identity Theft

College students are hot targets because it’s easy to victimize them. Think about it. Even your roommate’s mother could blindside you. With a not-so-private home life on campus and with so many people knowing so much about you, it’s clear you make a juicy target.

Before getting into our student-based tips, you might want to read our post on everything students have to know about identity theft before proceeding.

If you are a college student, here are 20 ways to prevent identity theft from impacting you.

20) Protect Your Parents

It’s normal to get help from your parents to finance school, qualify for loans, etc. If your parents helped you, then there should be some sort of paper trail. All these documents need to be kept hidden and secure. If they end up in the wrong hands, your parents could also become identity theft victims.

21) Hide Your Paperwork

You should not assume your documents are safe when living on campus. Find a hiding spot, get a storage unit or locker, or just leave your paperwork with a trusted relative. You already expose enough about yourself during the length of your course. It could just be a matter of a criminal seeing the right piece of paper to complete the puzzle, making you their victim. Remember, even paperwork like your school grades could include your social security number.

22) Consider Your Student ID

There is a growing crackdown on the way student identification numbers are generated. In previous years, many schools would take the student’s social security number and add a character. This means that everyone could gain access to each other social security numbers without even having to make any real effort. This might not apply to you, but check to see if your student ID matches up to your social security number at all. If it does, make sure to keep your card on lockdown or request a different number.

23) Limit Your Communications

It’s easy to let information slip when you have a roommate, professor, and school full of people you trust. But, it’s not always necessary to give up your private information. You do not need to hand over personal identifying information by phone. Make sure anything you give out is in person, and understand why it’s being recorded. Also, be cautious about what you include when inquiring to the school by e-mail. After all, something as simple as a server breach could reveal all your personal details to the intruder.

24) Redirect Your Mail

You might not feel important enough to bother with paying for a PO box. That’s okay. You can still protect your mail from unwanted eyes by redirecting it home. Either that or list your address with “In the care of” marked for the respective recipient. If you get many emails, or if your school is in a different city, then a PO box might be worth the investment.

25) Secure Your Computer

As a student, you will connect to public Wi-Fi networks regularly. This puts your computer at increased risk of getting attacked. As such, your school computer should not contain any sensitive information about you. The easiest way to ensure safety is by incorporating these:

• Antivirus/malware tool.
• Firewall.
• Private Internet connection.
• Backup of all your data.

26) Freeze Your Credit Report

It’s generally a good idea to put a ‘credit freeze’ on your credit report. Students will find even more benefit from doing so, as they are less likely to use their credit. The credit freeze will trigger a verification call if your name is ever used towards a new credit line. For better results, you can get a ‘security freeze,’ which goes a step further and factors in a verification code or PIN to approve any credit changes.

Read here and learn how to freeze your credit report.

You can also read up on the costs and laws by state here to figure out what to expect if you plan to place a security freeze on your file.

27) Don’t Help Your Roommate

It’s easy to feel the need to help your roommate with simple issues like qualifying for a new cell phone. But, you must understand that now is not the time to take on any liabilities on your credit file. The risks are too high, and you will be the first debt they ignore when things go sour. Plus, if you get a paper bill for their utility, that could be used towards opening fraudulent credit lines in your name.

28) Don’t Share Your ID

Once again, helping a roommate or school friend does not seem like a big problem. But, if you let them use your ID cards at any point, this could be a spell for disaster. For instance, if they get stopped by the police or arrested, your ID could get used, and your record would become tarnished.

29) Try CreditKarma Free Service

If you are a college student, chances are you do not have much borrowing history. If you qualify as a thin file, then you could get free services from CreditKarma. These services will not secure your identity, but free credit monitoring does help. And, it’s essentially taking steps to prevent identity theft free of charge.

Why CreditKarma?

30) Be Careful when Using Social Media

School is a place where socializing with others is considered the norm. Yet, the continuous influx of new connections to your social media profiles can be disastrous. You need to watch out for what you say and share while using social media. Otherwise, it’s essential to take the time to categorize your connections by trustworthiness. You can do this on Facebook, but most other social media websites do not offer this feature.

31) Protect Your Documents at Home

Identity thieves will strike whenever they are given a chance. This could come up at any point. So, you should make an effort to organize and hide any items back home that contain your personal identifying information. If you want to go a step further, sort through them and shred any no longer needed.

32) Don’t Carry Too Many IDs

You do not need to keep all your cards in your purse or wallet for the most part. Items like your social security number card are only important when they are actually needed. Your student ID will go a long way, yet it is a hard piece of identification for an identity thief to use. Long story short, you don’t need to drop the nightlife fun, just limit what a potential thief can access.

33) Be Careful with New Relationships

You need to remember that post-secondary schools are just platforms for learning, not fraud shelters. Identity thieves are of all ages, and in fact, most are young adults. This means the classrooms will contain possible fraudsters. Whether you are meeting a new friend, starting a new relationship, or otherwise, make sure you are cautious about what they can access.

34) Track Your Smartphone

A smartphone is always crackable, do not let yourself be fooled. If someone steals it and gets into your phone, they might gain access to sensitive information. They could also contact your contacts requesting details, and you never know what could slip. But, you can lower the risk of this type of intrusion by using a tracking app.

If you have an Android, try to find my last phone.

If you have an iPhone, try the GPS location tracker.

35) Read Articles

As a college student, you are going to learn a lot about the world. You might find a new interest in the economy, politics, and other subjects that bored your high school mind. As such, you should try and stay up to date on the latest identity theft news. Do a bit of reading. We have many great articles here, and educate yourself on how identity thieves really work.

36) Don’t Share Browsing Sessions

It’s okay to share your computer with friends at school, but you should be careful about how you do it. The best bet is to make a ‘Guest’ account accessible for this purpose. But, it’s even more important for you not to share browsing sessions. Make sure your cache, cookies, and history get deleted before giving up your computer for a long period unless you are right there.

37) Avoid Sketchy Credit Card Offers

You are at the age where it’s a coin flip whether you currently have a credit card. There will be countless offers coming in the mail, including some that say you are pre-approved. You should be very careful with which ones you apply for, as some are complete scams. In fact, it’s even possible for a fraudulent credit card provider to mail an application form in anticipation of your personal identifying information.

38) Don’t Throw out Junk Mail

It might seem harmless to do, but you should not ever just throw junk mail into the trash. Of course, throwing out a store flyer is a different scenario. But, whenever you get any credit card offers or anything else directly linked to your name, it’s best to shred them first. After all, school dumpsters make for perfect breeding grounds for dedicated identity thieves.

39) Avoid Sharing Your Phone

It’s easy to think of all the benefits of sharing a phone with your roommate, but few downfalls are obvious. Yet, believe it or not, it’s possible to become an identity theft victim this way. This is because the use of telephone verification is prevalent in many businesses. This is not just true for places like movie rental stores. With access to your phone and a lot of information about you, things could take a turn for the worst.

Section 3 – How to Prevent Child Identity Theft

Children are easy identity theft targets as they have no bad credit past, and the fraud can run unnoticed for many years. As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure they do not get targeted during their younger years. It’s also imperative that you teach them about the seriousness of identity theft as they get older.

If you are super concerned, don’t forget to check out our advanced article: 10 tips to ensure your child’s identity stays safe.

Here are some steps to prevent identity theft from harming your child’s identity.

40) Get Child Identity Theft Protection

There are no bulletproof ways to ensure your child is never the victim of identity theft. But, securing their identity through a child identity theft protection plan would be wise. Make sure you are careful with where you invest in identity protection. Some providers don’t offer protection to minors, so you’ll have to plan ahead of time; however, you can usually find a ‘family plan’ to cover your kids and spouse at a discounted rate.

41) Dispose or Lock up Their Mail

Over the years, there will be many different pieces of paperwork about your child that will show up in the mail. Some will be important to keep, while other documents you will be able to shred. Make sure you don’t just stow everything away in a ‘miscellaneous drawer’ in your kitchen.

42) Teach Your Child about Identity Theft

This is not a subject kids learn from their friends or teachers. It goes without discussion until it’s too late. You can do all the work to keep them safe when they are little, but it’s a whole new game when high school hits. Since the subject can be overwhelming at times, make sure to cover the most important details.

43) Don’t Co-sign a Credit Card

One of many parents’ biggest mistakes is co-signing for a credit card before their child is ready. This can have a huge financial bearing on both parties involved. It might seem like a good idea at first, but you are better off putting up the collateral for a secured card to help them get started. Especially in college, it’s too easy for your child’s credit card to slip into the wrong hands.

44) Make a Parenting Agreement

If your child’s other parent is no longer living with you, your efforts must run fluently in both homes. This means you both need to have an understanding of how to protect your child’s identity. This includes considering many aspects, such as where personal identifying documents get stored and what the child carries between homes.

45) Have The Pre-college Talk

College students are indeed top identity theft targets. You should talk with your child about the new risks they are exposed to once in college. Ensure they know to keep their dorm door locked, not trust anyone, and preferably keep important paperwork at home. As it’s not something your child will think about, make sure to offer them to keep their mailing address at home.

46) Advise Them on Internet Safety

Identity thieves target many children through the Web. It would shock you just how easy it is for a fraudster to trick kids into giving up sensitive information online. Make sure you educate your child on what is okay and what’s not if they browse the Web. It’s also a good idea to block your child from access to P2P file-sharing networks (like BitTorrent), as they are proven tools for identity thieves.

47) Check Your Child Credit Report

Right now, you are probably thinking, “my child does not have a credit report?” and hopefully, that’s true. Considering more than 1 in 10 children get victimized, it’s never a surprise to find out your child was targeted. If one is presented back by requesting a credit report, you will have a good idea of whether they were victimized already. If you want sanity of mind, you can spend a few dollars a month on a children’s identity theft protection plan.

You can request information on your child’s credit report (if one was created) by filling out the form at the respective credit bureau; here’s the special form request page for the three major credit bureaus:

• Equifax
• Experian
• TransUnion

48) Never Allow The Theft to Happen

While identity thieves frequently target minors, part of the statistic comes from parents and other relatives being fraudsters. There have been many cases where parents could not get a phone or utility in their name, so they stole their child’s identity to make it happen. This is something you should never do yourself, and it’s also something you should never permit others around you to do.

49) Always Emphasize Password Security

Your child will be connected to the online world at some point. Whether that happened already or not, make sure you explain password security to them. But, don’t just focus on the importance of a hard-to-guess password. There are many security loopholes an intruder could use. For example, it’s easy to find the answer to “What’s your mother’s hometown?” so it’s a problematic security question for them to use.

Here are some good password choosing tips.

You should use:

• Many characters;
• Upper and lower case letters;
• Multiple numbers and symbols;
• Combinations of these.

Of course, make sure to use a unique password at each site instead of relying on the same one.

Section 4 – How to Prevent Identity Theft Out of The US

Travelers are easy and unsuspecting targets for identity theft. When on vacation, the last thing you have on your mind is the risk of your identity getting stolen. Yet, there are countless ways for it to happen and in fact, you are more exposed to the risk while traveling abroad. So, make sure to read each of these tips to become more informed on preventing identity theft while traveling abroad.

50) Keep Your Credit Card Away

To make things easy, all you have to do is make sure you do not pull out your credit card during your travels. It’s okay to bring it in case of emergencies, just don’t use it for any other reason. If you need to pay for something, your best bet is to pay in cash. This is especially true in countries with weaker economies, with more incentive to pull schemes like card skimming at the cash.

51) Make a Note of Everything You Have

It’s easy to forget or lose something when you go on vacation. So, write down or take a picture of all the important cards and paperwork you will bring. Then, double-check before you pack up to head home, and once you get home, make sure it’s all still there.

52) Leave What You Can at Home

Many of us are guilty of having an overstuffed purse or wallet. When, in fact, there are many items that you do not have to bring for your trip. Go through everything you have and leave what you can at home. You can just put it back in your purse or wallet once you return from your trip. This will create a much smaller burden if something bad happens. For example, you have no idea how much of a headache you would experience when trying to prevent identity theft after a wallet is stolen or misplaced.

53) Be Cautious with Public Wi-Fi Connections

Public Wi-Fi networks are honeypots for identity thieves and should be avoided whenever possible. At the very least, they should not be used for any online banking or other identifiable accounts. This also applies when staying at a hotel, where passwords remain the same, and anyone could break into the connection to attack an unknowing guest. Further, as it’s easy to break into accounts over public connections, you might want to make a new e-mail account specifically for your travels.

54) Avoid Any Non-Bank ATMs

If you need to get cash from your credit card, you should avoid doing so through any non-bank ATMs. These are too easy to access and modify for fraudulence. By going to a machine at an actual bank, you will stand a much lower chance of being exposed to identity theft.

55) Protect Your Smartphone

Your smartphone can be a dangerous tool for an identity thief to happen upon, supposing you lose it while traveling abroad. Make sure you plan by securing your phone in as many ways as possible. Back up any sensitive files on your computer and wipe them from your phone. Make sure a complex password is used. As mentioned earlier, install a tracking app to help locate your phone if it gets lost or stolen. Some of these apps will even allow you to lock or wipe your phone remotely.

56) Be Picky about Hotels

There are many places you can stay while traveling, but not all of them will be safe. Some will have untrustworthy housekeeping staff. Others will have someone at the front desk looking to skim your credit card. Your best bet is to stick to the best places and check on a website like TripAdvisor to ensure the place is trusted. You already know most places will ask for your credit card for security purposes, so avoid giving it up at any smaller, lesser-known places.

57) Contact Your Credit Card Provider

Before leaving for your trip, get in touch with your credit card provider. Let them know where you will be traveling and what type of spending you will make. Credit card companies watch for potential fraud transactions, and traveling abroad will raise red flags. They just have to contact you if an obvious fraud transaction shows by notifying them ahead of time. Further, if you get a call about your credit card, make sure it is not an imposter and request to call back at their extension number.

58) Consider a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

You do not have to be a tech nerd to understand how to set up a virtual private network or VPN. It is explained in a step-by-step guide through almost every provider. So, you can keep your network connection secure for the cost of around $5 per month. These networks encrypt the information transmitted from your wireless device, so hackers have a much harder time targeting you. Do your own research first. A few top providers are ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, Boleh VPN, and IP Vanish VPN.

59) Use Tyvek Sleeves

Identity thieves love committing credit fraud against unsuspecting tourists. It takes forever for them to notice the issue, and any red flags from the card provider get blamed on the foreign transactions. Yet, local identity thieves could skim your credit card information by using electronic scanners. Tyvek sleeves block out the radio frequency transfer, making it almost impossible for fraudsters to target you this way.

Section 5 – How to Prevent Identity Theft Online

Internet users are always at risk of having their identity stolen. Whether from the sites they browse or the applications they download, a thief will always find an entry point. Many security flaws exist, and most are due to personal ignorance, so read these tips to understand better how to prevent identity theft online.

If you want to stay super safe, check out our advanced guides on various Internet identity theft techniques to learn how you could get exploited. You can find some of them in our post about social engineering identity theft.

With that said, here are some specific tips to help you stay safe on the Web …

60) Get an Effective Antivirus Program

It’s easy to become the victim of identity theft if your computer gets infected with a virus. In fact, if it’s a keylogger, the attacker could read every single keystroke you make. Free anti-virus programs like AVG, Bitdefender, and Malwarebytes are all trustworthy. Look for reviews and check the specific features of each offer, then download one onto your PC. This will come in handy when trying to prevent identity theft on social networks, as you will be protected from clickbait viruses.

61) Clean Your Desktop and Inbox Periodically

Many of us are guilty of letting emails pile up and forgetting about old documents and images on our desktops. This is mostly just innocent laziness, but sometimes it creates a serious security risk. You never know when or how your computer will get compromised, so you should do all you can to keep it safe. Any super sensitive data that must last a while can get stored on a USB stick or alternate hard drive. As for sensitive messages in your inbox, you must also make sure to check your ‘Sent’ messages during your clean-up.

62) Download OpenDNS and Use Phishtank

OpenDNS works to boost your Internet speed by taking over the page detection and load process that your Internet service provider usually does. Further, the Phishtank function allows you to block out phishing websites. If a website is considered dangerous, a warning page will be presented to you. This is perfect for trying to prevent identity theft on social networks, where you will often find yourself hopping off-site to view news stories from websites you’ve never visited.

63) Use The Web of Trust to Check an Online Retailer Trustworthiness

Some online stores are easy to trust (Amazon, Walmart, etc.), while others are a coin flip. That should not stop you from finding the best deals and all the items you want. You can use the Web of Trust (WoT) to determine whether an online store is trustworthy. This is perfect for Chrome users, as there is a downloadable plugin that automatically shows the reputation rating for each website you visit.

64) Don’t Use Your Credit Card Online

The absolute best way to avoid identity theft on the Internet is never to enter your credit card detail