Simple Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft

Identity theft is a real problem, though perhaps a bit oversold like the threat of terrorist attacks. Still, more Americans have been victims of identity theft than of terrorist attacks and since it doesn't really cost anything to protect yourself, why not?

Most of us know we should be very careful in handing out our Social Security numbers, but have you ever considered the danger of simply filling out your actual birthday? Your name is your identity, but you share that with who knows how many other people. You also share your birth date with many others. But when you combine the two, you have just narrowed things down considerably. Someone looking to get to your personal information with just your name gets an instant boost when he also knows your birth date. How much of a boost? It has been estimated that by linking a birth date to a name, the pool of those who simply share the same name can be reduced by over 90%.

Obviously, there are some instances in which you can't do anything about it, but when identity theft is on the line, it never hurts to avoid the dangerous neighborhoods. Most of the web sites that ask you for your birth date can be lied to. Obviously, there is really no good reason in the world for Google or Yahoo to know your actual birth date, but even when it seems as if might be logical for a web site to ask for this information, simply give them a close approximation. Instead of September 8, 1970 give them September 9. Or give them 1971. You can always claim it was an honest mistake in mouse manipulation if it becomes an issue.