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At the start of every year, much attention is given to setting goals and making plans for personal improvement. Many decide to frequent the gym on a more regular basis, begin a new diet plan, prove to the boss a promotion is warranted and so on—but what about keeping a more watchful eye on personal finances, one of the simplest and most important resolutions one can make?
 Because every U.S. citizen with a Social Security number has the potential to become an identity theft victim, LifeLock, Inc. (www.lifelock.com), a leader in identity theft protection, is educating consumers on the crime and the benefits of proactively protecting personally identifiable information. January marks National Financial Wellness Month, giving consumers an even stronger reason to want to better understand identity theft and take the reins when it comes to protecting themselves.
“More than just striving for a balanced checkbook, financial wellness involves discovering new ways to achieve financial balance and developing habits that will help to ensure long-term financial health,” said Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock. “We encourage not only LifeLock members, but all consumers to take an active interest in protecting personal and family finances and to be proactive in guarding their personal information.”
There are no demographic restrictions on identity theft, either. Childhood identity theft and fraud, for example, can go undetected for years. Parents should be diligent about checking their children’s credit as they are often easy targets for identity thieves. In addition, identity theft can be detrimental for senior citizens, unraveling decades of hard work and straining even further already tight fixed-income budgets. Today’s identity thieves are particularly dangerous because they are both technologically-savvy and reliant on old tricks. While some thieves employ high-tech ways of tapping into victims’ finances with skimming devices and through wireless network penetration, others are dumpster diving or posing as official data workers as they implement door-to-door scams. By monitoring personal finances on a regular basis, consumers can be more aware when their personal information has been used.
During National Financial Wellness Month, LifeLock urges consumers to take the possibility of identity theft seriously, especially when it pertains to protecting sensitive personal and financial information and making financial plans for the future. Whether consumers are saving for college, looking to buy their first home or planning for retirement, protecting against identity theft should be a top concern in any financial wellness plan. LifeLock offers the following tips to help ensure the future financial growth and wellness of consumers:
* Keep your eyes open – Review your statements monthly; all of them - credit card, utility bill, bank statement, and so on. One of the fastest ways to financial distress is lack of attention to detail. Make sure to track any questionable transactions and contact the appropriate institution immediately.
* Socialize, shop and surf safely – It seems everyone has at least one online profile on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or MySpace. Don’t save your log in information on any computer, even a personal one, and refrain from sharing usernames and passwords or account numbers with anyone. When paying bills online, only use secure sites generally marked with a URL that includes https://, and safety logos that feature a lock or key.
* Work smarter, not harder – Set your free fraud alerts with the three major credit bureaus, request your free annual credit reports (www.annualcreditreport.com) and shred any unnecessary documents that contain your personal information.
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