Skip to Main Content
chevron-right
chevron-left
chevron-down
chevron-up
chevron-circle-up
chevron-circle-right
chevron-circle-down
chevron-circle-left
Facebook Logo
Twitter Logo
Linkedin Logo
Youtube Logo
Instagram Logo
Google Plus Logo
Vimeo Logo
Issuu Logo
Right arrow
Left arrow
Location
Search
Phone Icon
Services
Home Care
Senior Care
Home Nursing Services
At Home Therapies
Respite Care
Home Care FAQ
Hospice
Bereavement & Grief
Hospice & Alzheimers
Hospice Costs
Hospice Pet Therapy
Special Care Programs
Your Care Team
Specialized Home Care
Patient-Centered Dementia Care
Arthritis
Congestive Heart Failure
Huntington’s Disease
Hypertension / Blood Pressure
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
COPD
Joint Replacement
Mental Health and Depression
Home Care Support for Multiple Sclerosis
Palliative Care
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia
Parkinson's Disease
Pediatric Care
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ventilator Care
Wound Care
Veterans Care
Staffing
Staffing FAQ
COVID-19 Vaccination Staffing
Careers
About Us
COVID-19 Update
Our Standard of Care
Our History
Franchise Leader
Executive Team
Caring Brands International
Press Releases
Honoring Veterans
Historic Milestones
Contact Us
Education Center
Aging in Place
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Health Aide
8 Dietary Tips for Improving Senior Heart Health
Talking About Substance Abuse as a Caregiver
How to Take Care of Aging Hair
4 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality for Seniors
Designing Outdoor Living Areas for Seniors
Getting A Grip: How and Where to Install Bathroom Grab Bars
Keeping Active: Tips for Senior Gardening
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Calculating the Cost
Certified Senior Advisors
Consumer Health Care Education
Advisor Care Giving Guide
Care in a Residential Facility
Check Your Home Care IQ
Elder Care Communities
Consumer Alert
Medicare and Home Care
Senior Care Resources
Senior Care Scams
Consumer Rights
Signs That Care At Home is Needed
Long Term Care
Fall Prevention
Mobility in Seniors
Falls FAQ's
Home Safety Checklist
Home Safety Tips
Hidden Hazards
Medications and Fall Risk
Reduce the Risk of Falling
Risk of Falling
Visiting the Doctor and Discussing Falls
What to Do If Someone Falls
Family Caregiving
Elder Care Videos
Hiring Your Own Caregivers
Family Care Giving Facts
Information for Seniors
Long Distance Caregiving
Starting the Conversation
The Stress of Family Caregiving
Taking Care Of Yourself as a Family Caregiver
Home Care Technology
Hospice Fact or Myth
In-Home Caregivers
Senior Health
Exercise and Older Adults
Senior Nutrition
Taking Medications
Tips for Lowering Blood Pressure
Seniors and Zika Virus
Savvy Senior
Stories From Home
Transitioning from a Facility
Independent Living Assessment
Blog
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Home
>
Education Center
>
July 2016
>
10 Ways Seniors Can Avoid Identity Theft
10 Ways Seniors Can Avoid Identity Theft
Posted: 7/21/2016 8:02 AM by
Interim HealthCare
Dear Worried,
Great question! Each year around 17 million people fall victim to identity theft, which happens when someone gets access to your Social Security number, bank or credit card account number, or other identifying information and uses it to steal from you. Here are some free steps you can take to reduce your risks.
Guard your personal information:
Never give your Social Security number, credit card number, checking or savings account numbers to anyone unless you initiate the contact. Also, do not carry your Social Security card around in your wallet or purse, and don’t carry around your Medicare card either unless you’re going to the doctor.
Get off mailing lists:
Put a stop to preapproved credit-card offers, which is a gold mine for ID thieves. To do this visit
optoutprescreen.com
or call 888-567-8688 – they will ask for your Social Security number and date of birth. You can stop other junk mail at
dmachoice.org
, and reduce telemarketing calls at
donotcall.gov
.
Use strong passwords:
To safeguard your personal data on your smartphone or tablet don’t use a password that’s easy to hack, like 1234 or 0000. Also, make your computer passwords more than 8 characters long, with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols like # and %, and use different passwords on different accounts. If it’s hard to remember them, try a password manager service like
dashlane.com
,
truekey.com
or
lastpass.com
.
Be wary of unknown emails:
Never click on links in emails from strangers, or those that claim to be from the Social Security Administration, IRS or other government agencies, or from your bank, phone or credit card company warning of a “problem.” This can result in identity-stealing malware being installed on your computer. To protect your computer from malware, install antivirus software (see
avg.com
and
avast.com
for free options) and set up automatic security updates and full weekly scans.
Secure your mail:
Empty your home mailbox quickly or buy a locked mailbox to deter thieves. And mail outgoing payments from a U.S. Postal Service mailbox or the post office, not from your more vulnerable home mailbox.
Get safer credit cards:
If you don’t already have one, get an EMV chip credit card from your credit card provider. They’re much more difficult for fraudsters to hack than magnetic strip cards.
Shred unneeded documents:
Buy a crosscut paper shredder so you can shred all unneeded records, receipts, statements, preapproved credit offers or other papers you throw out that has your financial or personal information.
Monitor your accounts:
Review your monthly bank and credit card statements carefully, and see if your bank or credit card issuer offers free alerts that will warn you of suspicious activity as soon as it’s detected. If they do, sign up for them or use
eversafe.com
, which will do it for you for a small fee.
Watch your credit:
Check your credit report at
annualcreditreport.com
or call 877-322-8228. You can receive one free report a year from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), so consider staggering your request so you can get one free copy every four months.
Set up security freezes:
If you don’t plan to apply for new credit, loans, insurance or utility services, freeze your credit reports so crooks can’t open up new accounts in your name. Rules vary by state, but the $5 to $20 fee is waived if you’re 65 or older, or show proof of past ID theft. Security freezes are set up at all three credit bureaus at
equifax.com
,
experian.com
and
transunion.com
.