Identity theft can be a huge disaster for the person who had his or her identity stolen. The thief can cause a lot of damage to their target’s reputation, both physically and financially.

When a crook steals someone’s identity, they can wreak havoc. The thief gets ahold of personal information such as their target’s name, and social security number. They can apply for credit cards, file taxes, or get medical services under their victim’s name. This can damage the victim’s credit status, and will takes years and a lot of money to fix.

You can prevent someone from stealing your identity, and all the repercussions that comes with it, by doing to the following:

• Do not carry your social security card in your wallet, and only give it out when you have to.
• Do not give personal information out by phone, mail, or online.
• Shred any paper or cards that have personal information on them to prevent anyone from finding the info in your trash.
• Store personal info in a safe place at home.
• Keep a watchful eye on finances and your credit score.
• Use complex passwords for online accounts to help keep them secure.

By following some of these different protocols, you will be protecting yourself from identity theft. This can safe you thousands of dollars and countless hours of stress and worry. Nobody wants to have their identity stolen, so be sure to do everything that you can to keep personal information safe and secure.