TIPS Protecting Identity is Important
for Adolescents and Adults
Deb Schroeder, Extension Educator
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
It is important to take every step possible to protect your credit cards and all personal identity. Today's technology requires that people be identified by numbers, such as Social Security numbers, bank accounts and credit card numbers. Identity theft occurs when thieves steal any of these numbers and use them to tap into your credit.
When and Where Identity Theft Occurs
Identity theft occurs when a thief steals your personal identification and uses that information as if it was his or her own. The information can be used to open credit card accounts, rob bank accounts, make withdrawals from ATMs and obtain employment opportunities or make down payments/deposits on a car or housing.
Fraudulent use of credit cards is not limited to the loss or theft of the actual credit card. Identity theft can happen when your purse or wallet is stolen or lost. It also can happen when you give your credit card information out over the telephone or Internet, when someone gets numbers off papers they find in the trash, or over hear numbers given in a telephone conversation and by watching you key in account or PIN numbers in check-out lines or at ATMs.
A capable criminal only needs to know your credit numbers to fraudulently make numerous charges, including cash withdrawals, against your accounts.
This week during a family meeting, discuss ways you can protect your family members against credit card theft and identity theft. Then leave us some feedback at unlforfamilies.unl.edu. Click on TIPS and then on Feedback.
Next week we will discuss some crime prevention tips to help you guard against the illegal use of credit cards and ways to protect your identity.
