Identity Theft And Junk Mail

Identity Theft And Junk Mail
By Lillian Latham

We all get junk mail delivered to us at homes and offices. This can be a hassle and the temptation is to simply put it into the convenient garbage bins beside our desk or beside the mailboxes if we live in an apartment"."

Although this is tempting we need to find a safer way of getting rid of junk mail. Just throwing it away is not always safe, especially if the mail is addressed to us, we have to protect ourselves from the possibility that this mail could be used to create an identity - in other words we need to protect ourselves from identity theft.

The most dangerous form of junk mail comes to us offering credit cards and other loans and money through the mail. This type of mail has our name and in some cases other personal information that can make it very easy for someone to adopt our identity and create problems for the future.

We should never throw away junk mail or any other mail that contains as little personal information as our name and address in the garbage. Once an item has been disposed of in the garbage it is, in effect, public information. In the wrong hands it could be dangerous.

The safest way to dispose of junk mail is either to burn it, if you have a fireplace; or you can buy a home shredder at Walmart and shred the documents before disposing of them. A $10.00 shredder can do a great deal for your peace of mind.

You can also avoid receiving some of the most dangerous junk mail by ask your credit card companies to take you off of their mailing list special offers. This will help to eliminate some of the problem of having junk mail sent to your home.

Many credit card and other financial institutions are now offering paperless communications and you may receive bills and other communications by email.

It is important to remember that while we do not have to be paranoid, we do have to be vigilant. And remember that nothing replaces an annual check of our credit history to ensure that you are aware of all credit cards, loans and other financial transactions on your file.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that U.S. consumers be entitled to a free credit report each year. The government's goal is to make sure that consumers stay informed, fight identity theft, and get fair treatment.

The nation's credit reporting agencies have teamed up and built a website that you should use to get your free credit report.

Read more about identity theft and listen to an interview by the author at http://www.newidentityprotection.com

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