Lionheart Assurance Solutions

Whenever you type in your PIN number at an ATM or at a terminal in a store, conceal the keypad by cupping your hand over it. While it’s not that common, you never know for sure if the person standing right behind you is only there to try to steal this important information.

Your Social Security Number or other important personal identification data should never be given to anyone who calls you on the phone (though if you’re placing the call, you know exactly who you’re calling and that this information is actually needed, this is OK, obviously). Instead, ask for their number and find out if this number belongs to a company who you can provide this information to in confidence.

If you leave your outgoing mail in your mailbox for the postman to pickup or otherwise exposed, it’s time to break this habit. Instead, make sure that all of your mail is placed into a real post box or sent from your local post office to keep your mail away from prying eyes.

When your credit card statements arrive, look them over closely. There are a lot of small acts of theft which occur, such as bill padding at restaurants. It may only be a few dollars at a time, but it does add up – and unless you’re looking for it, you may never notice. Scammers and identity thieves are learning to fly under the radar by stealing smaller amounts of money, thus avoiding detection.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions recommends that your computer passwords or PIN numbers should never include any part of your Social Security Number. Good passwords are at least six characters in length and are made of numbers, letters (upper and lower case) and symbols. You should also change this password frequently.

The most powerful tool at your disposal for protecting your identity is information. It’s important to know what tactics that scammers and identity thieves are using. Since they change their techniques from time to time to exploit new security weaknesses or avoid being caught, being up to date is essential.

You need to make a habit of being aware of the safety of any items which contain confidential personal information. For example, keep your car doors locked when you’re not on the road and never leave your purse or wallet in your car. Make sure that your laptop is never left unattended in public – your computer is a gold mine for any would-be identity thief.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP reminds its clients that the best way to avoid falling victim to a ripoff or fraud is to understand the tell-tale signs. For more information, visit http://lionheartassurance.com today.