Identity theft, also known as ID theft, is a criminal offense where one’s identity is stolen by a hacker. If a person becomes a victim to identity theft, their personal information like the full name, Social Security number, etc. is stolen. Identity theft is on the rise these days. One may not be aware of the fact that their identity has been stolen until they face some financial consequences.

Identity theft ruins one’s finances and credit score. The hacker may accumulate debts and may even commit crimes in the victim’s name. It can be a time-consuming and costly process to regain one’s identity in such cases.

One should take suitable measures to not become a victim of growing cybercrime. One should ensure to protect confidential information from being a part of a data breach. One can follow the following tips to protect their data from identity theft:

Use strong passwords: Use strong passwords which cannot be guessed easily. Avoid using a birthday, children’s birth date, or anniversary dates as a password. Use alphanumeric keys and create a strong password comprising of alphabets, numbers, and symbols. In this way, one’s identity can be protected from being stolen.

System security: One should ensure that their phone or system is protected with an antivirus software.

Unsolicited requests:  One should not respond to unsolicited requests asking for a username, password, Social Security number, or bank account number through emails, calls, or text. A company, bank, or even the Government will never ask for such information.

Request credit report: An individual is entitled to know about their credit report once a year. One can review their credit report to make sure there are not any suspicious transactions made.

Shredding:  Use a shredder to shred any important documents before disposing of them in a dumpster. Important documents may include receipts, expired credit card, bank statements, etc.

Following these tips will help protect one’s data against identity theft. One should stay conscious and be aware of suspicious activities. One should also adopt other ways to ensure that their data is safe in today’s world where every transaction can be done online.