1. Your Social
Keep your Social Security card buried where only you would be able to find it. Don't write the number on your checks when you make payments and don't put it on your driver's license. And reconsider giving out the nine numbers except for tax purposes: C'mon, the gym isn't going to reject your membership if you withhold your SSN.
2. Checks
The only personalized thing about your checks should be the Minnie Mouse cartoon in the upper left corner (if that's your style). Limit the information printed on your checks. Consider using just your first initials, not your whole name. And never include your home phone number. If you still write out checks to pay credit card bills, write only the last four digits of your account in the memo of your check. Trust us, they'll know who you are.
3. Mail
Remember how much fun you had tearing up old love letters from your sleazy ex? Use that same enthusiasm to rip up anything that holds sensitive info before throwing it away, including old credit card receipts, ATM receipts, investment statements, and unused credit card offers.
4. Passwords
Get creative with passwords and assign them to your credit card, bank, and phone accounts. Tips:
- Avoid your birth date.
Skip the last four digits of your SSN or telephone number. - Don't use consecutive numbers or letters.
- Use different passwords for different accounts.
- Use something like the name of your favorite designer or a grouping of the TV channels you run home from work to watch.
- Try a combo of upper- and lowercase letters plus numbers.
- Keep your mom out of it. It's pretty common to be asked for your mother's maiden name when opening new accounts. Request that you devise another password instead.
5. Correspondence
You don't tell your sister how often you and your husband have sex, so why would you give a stranger personal info? Don't reveal details on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you have initiated contact or you know whom you're dealing with.
6. Your Computer
Never use an automatic login. It may save time, but it's not secure, especially on laptops, which are more vulnerable to theft. If you plan on giving away or donating an old computer, make sure to delete all personal info on the hard drive first. You might even consider using a "wipe" utility program to be safe. Make sure your firewall, anti-spam, anti-spyware, and anti-adware programs are installed and up-to-date to limit a hacker's ability to access to your computer.
7. Billing Cycles
Track your bills to make sure they don't get diverted by a thief. Record the usual payment due date for each credit card and utility bill. It should fall around the same date each month. Design a spreadsheet to track the dates or write them into your daily planner. This way, you'll be more aware if something's missing...unless your husband purposely hides the bill because of his bar tab.
8. Paying Bills
We don't want to keep you away from doing any kind of business on the Web. It's actually safer to pay bills online than via snail mail since there's no paper trail (as long as you use your computer, which you know is secure -- not at a hotel or cybercafe, for instance). Just make sure the site you're dealing with, whether it is bankofamerica.com or zappos.com, offers secure encryption of any transactions.
9. Credit Report
You're entitled to receive one free credit report a year. Get it now! Make sure there's nothing you don't know about on it. Visit annualcreditreport.com or call them at (877) 322-8228.
-- Grace Jidoun
See More: Money Q&A , Credit