Yes, we’ve said it before; you hear it on TV and read it in the news.  Safeguard your personal and financial information to protect yourself and your credit.  Part of getting better credit scores is having accurate information.  And if someone assumes your identity, or uses your accounts fraudulently, it can wreak havoc with your credit rating.

Why bring this up again?  Well, last week I picked kids up at the bowling alley and stopped at an ice cream store afterward.  As I went to check out, I found a driver’s license and credit card laying on the counter in front of the cash register.  Fortunately the owner of these two items was still in the store and was extremely relieved when we returned them to her. 

Also this week, a friend told me that while she was going for her daily run in her neighborhood, she saw papers all over the street from a garbage can that was knocked over.  They weren’t newspapers, they were bank statements.  She gathered them up, went to the door and told the owner what she had found.  Again, the owner couldn’t believe it as the documents were supposed to have been shredded before being tossed.

Something as simple as an ice cream cone or taking out the trash can lead to identity theft and huge problems with your credit.  Just be aware.  If you take something out of your wallet, keep the opened wallet in your hand until you put everything back inside of it.  Then put it away.

In addition to the Identity Theft Prevention Tips on our website, you may want to take the ID Theft Test to check your risk.  If you do have credit challenges due to fraudulent use, you may want to consider Personal Credit Consulting; we can help you get your credit report corrected and get your scores growing again.  Contact us today to get started.