Why would we find it important to discuss identity protection on our apartment living Blog? Because identity theft affects your credit, and most property management companies do require a positive credit history in order to meet their application selection criteria. If caught early, a case of identity theft might not have the opportunity to reach your credit report. Once an identity theft victim finds out that they have had part of their identity stolen, they must notify their creditors and credit bureaus to try to remove or repair what might have been tarnished on their credit report. This process can take a very long time, involves extensive research and investigation. In addition, if the victim is unable to prove that their identity was in fact stolen, the negative items on their credit report might stay in tact.

Shopping
When shopping, even at the grocery store or convenience store, keep a close eye on your belongings. Keep your purse and bags close to you, and where you can see them at all times. Make sure to keep you purse closed to make it harder for someone to swiftly reach in and grab your wallet. If you carry your wallet on you, try to keep it somewhere other than your back pocket-it is much easier for someone to pull a wallet out of someone’s back pocket than their front pocket. When outside of your wallet or purse, keep a close eye on your credit and debit cards. Many identity thieves use a process called “skimming,” which stores your credit or debit card information when swiped. This information can later be retrieved to be used fraudulently. Try to make sure you can always see your card being swiped or scanned. Of course, always review the charges on your credit card and bank statements to make sure that all of the purchases are accurate.  

ATMs
ATM cards are great because they require a PIN. It is very important to never allow anyone to see your pin number. Regardless of how many people are around you, keep the keypad out of sight, even if you have to shield it with your hand. The “skimming” process can also be done using ATM machines. If you see a gadget attached to an ATM machine that looks out of place, consider using a different ATM.  

On the Internet
Shopping online can be very safe, and consumers should not be scared away from online shopping. It is very important, however, to be cautious when entering personal information, credit card, and bank information over the Internet.  Even after deleting your cookies and clearing your Internet history, personal information entered can remain on your hard drive. To help protect you on the Internet:

• Don’t open suspicious-looking emails. If you do open an email and find that it looks suspicious, do not click on any links within them.
• When making online purchases, verify that the server is secure prior to entering your personal information. Secure web addresses start with https rather than http. 
• If you are giving your computer to someone else, or simply disposing it, completely erase the hard drive first to remove any stored personal information.  
• Make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date
• Change your passwords regularly, and try to use a variety of passwords that are not easily recognizable. If you need to write down your passwords to remember them, be sure to keep these passwords in a safe location, preferably locked.  

It is very important to stay informed on what might be appearing on your credit report without your knowledge. Monitor your credit report regularly, and contact the credit bureaus immediately if you notice something that looks inaccurate. Every one is entitled to a free credit report once per year. To get your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com. If you have already received your free credit report this year but want to get another, this website will direct you to options where you can purchase your credit report.