6 Ways to Help Secure Your Personal Identity

As you grew up, you were taught how to play safely and be aware of your surroundings. As adults, the same concept can also apply to a variety of things, including the most important part of your life: personal finances.

With the majority of your finances living online, and the increased amount of personal information available to the public, it’s now more important than ever to make sure you’re completely secure. And since tax season is right around the corner, we can’t think of a better time to reanalyze your financial security.

That’s why we’ve compiled these six tips below to help strengthen your security network and build protection against identity theft.

1. Make Strong Passwords and Keep them Updated. Some websites require you to meet a certain number of non-alphabetical characters and letters, which solidifies a secure password and makes it more difficult for someone to hack into your account. When you create a strong password, it’s also important to avoid common or easy-to-guess passwords – try to stay away from birth dates or a mother’s maiden name. It is also important to change your password every few months.

2. Be Cognizant of What You Share. It can be easy to accidentally share too much personal information on your Facebook or other social media page, especially if you see your friends also doing so. However, you should always be mindful of what you’re posting on social media and never share your address, phone numbers, or SSN, and instead, just keep it to funny pictures of your dog!

3. Secure Sensitive Personal and Financial Documents. Storing personal information on your computer can be quick and easy, and in fact, most people keep all their important information online. However, if you decide to store everything online, you’ll need to protect your computer with security and anti-virus software to help protect against hacks. If you’re old school and keep most of your documents in a file cabinet, make sure you shred them if you decide to dispose of them or store them in a safe location.

4. Protect Your Mobile Device. With all the helpful tools and features a mobile device can offer, you can download personal finance apps that track your finances… and can even do your taxes from your phone! Although these apps are extremely helpful, always double-check they are from a reputable company, and be sure to check the ratings and comments to be aware of what the app does, and what information it may access on your mobile device. You should also secure your device with a strong password and use your phone’s auto-lock feature to protect personal information.

5. Frequently Check Your Credit Report. Do you pay off your credit card on time each month and want to know if you’ve boosted your credit score? You’re entitled to one free credit report each year, and you should take advantage of the free report in order to catch any errors. If any information has been compromised, set up a fraud alert to put a security freeze on your files and information.

6. Don’t Fall for Phishing Scams. Sometimes scam emails can sneak through the junk folder in your email, and seem believable asking for money or for you to confirm confidential information. But don’t be fooled, these scams usually come from a third party claiming to be a trustworthy entity. It’s important to remember that trustworthy companies like your bank or the IRS would never ask you to provide personal or sensitive information without first signing into your account behind a secure firewall.

It can seem like a lot of work to make sure your identify and personal information is protected, but by taking those extra steps and precautions, you guarantee a safer and more secure network.

Related Information: http://www.turbotax4u.com/