How to Prevent ID Theft: Carry Minimal Personal Information

One technique that you will want to employ when it comes to working to prevent identity theft or ID theft is carrying a minimal amount of personal information around with you on a day to day basis. Through this article, we will discuss with you the technique of preventing identity theft or ID theft by carrying around only a minimal amount of personal information on a regular basis.

If you keep your wallet or purse full of personal information, you will be providing a person interested in committing identity theft with all of the information that he or she will need to swipe your identity.

If on the other hand you limit the personal information that you cart along with you, you will not run the risk of becoming the victim of identity theft if your wallet or purse is lost or stolen.

Your drivers license. Period.

Of course, if you are shopping or traveling, you will want to carry along a credit card or an ATM card -- but don’t cart along all of your financial devices. You do not need them. And, you don’t want all of your credit and bank cards to fall into the hands of a person wanting to commit identity theft.

Don’t carry such things as you Social Security card. You simply do not need your Social Security card on a day to day basis.

As an aside, don’t use your Social Security number on your drivers license or on other types of cards. Some states historically did use or allow you to use your Social Security number as your drivers license number. It simply is not a good practice. You are taking serious risks by using your Social Security number as your drivers license number. Every time you have to show your drivers license number you would be running the risk that you are sharing your Social Security number with a person who might want to commit identity theft or ID theft.