The possibility of identity theft weighs heavily on the minds of most consumers, whether due to Internet shopping or worrying that the companies you do business with aren’t disposing of your documents correctly. The good news is that there are at least five fantastic ways to increase your prevention level for identity theft. Following is a list of the five tips as well as brief summaries about each.

Shred

One of the biggest prevention methods for identity theft is shredding your personal documents. Purchase a shredder that uses the crosscut method of shredding, it doesn’t have to be expensive but it should have at least this feature. Everyday when you get your mail, send any letter or junk mail that might have personal data included on them through the shredder.

Protect Mailbox

Your mailbox should be securely located on or very close to your home. This practice is good for identity theft prevention because it discourages identity thieves from taking your mail out of the box and stealing your personal information. It’s a good idea not to leave your garbage cans far away from your house or too close to the street for the same reason.

Guard Your Cards And Passwords

Be aware of where and when you flash your credit or identification cards or who might be around when conducting business at the bank or ATM machines. Identity thieves are known for using sneaky methods, like cell phone cameras to capture personal information and use it to commit fraud. Make sure you don’t inadvertently allow someone to see your passwords or account numbers for proper identity theft prevention.

Don’t Leave Checks In Your Mailbox

Some people still use personal checks for paying bills and other debts throughout the month. While this isn’t necessarily a bad idea, leaving the checks in your mailbox for your postal worker to collect is. Personal mailboxes are prime targets for identity thieves and your best bet for identity theft prevention is never to leave personal information where people can get to it.

Don’t Use Mother’s Maiden Name

Financial institutions have long used an individual’s mother’s maiden name as a security measure on accounts. The trick has been picked up by identity thieves and used for identity theft. It’s relatively easy to get someone’s mother’s maiden name since few people guard this information. For better identity theft prevention, whenever an institution asks for your mother’s maiden name, use a nonsense word instead. Make the word something you’ll remember easily but not something that would be easy for others to guess, the same as all passwords.