With recent scams and breaches of privacy headlining the news, it is becoming increasingly more important that we go above and beyond to protect ourselves and our identity. There are a variety of lifestyle habits that many individuals partake in that actually increase their chances of identity theft. Gathered are some helpful tips for you to protect yourself from identity theft:

• Many people are careless with their Social Security information. There is no reason for you to keep your Social Security card in your wallet. Your Social Security card should be kept in a secure location within your home. Many young adults will “slyly” insert their Social Security number in their phones under what they believe is a creative name. A criminal will know how to reveal this number if they get a hold of your phone.
• While you may think using your dog’s name and your high school football jersey number in combination for your password to everything is clever, criminals are experienced in making these connections. Choose a random password that does not have ties to your lifestyle and incorporates the use of both numbers and symbols.
• Now that the majority of us have opted for paperless billing, chances are you have become lazy when it comes to checking your bank statement. Make sure to check all of your credit card and bank statements on a regular basis for any discrepancies.
• If you do not have a password lock on your phone for convenience reasons, it is important that you increase security and lock your phone with a password. The last thing you want is for a criminal to find your phone and have access to extremely secure information.

Contact Agape Brokers Insurance Agency in Hemet for all of your California insurance needs. There are a variety of insurance policies available to you that can safeguard your identity from fraud and identity theft.

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