The new year is the perfect time to set goals and make plans to accomplish them! Looking for inspiration on what to improve in 2025? We’ve got a recommendation that may surprise you: Take steps to help protect your identity.
Nobody wants to think about the possibility of their identity getting stolen; but in our tech-focused society, it’s important to monitor your personal data as you go through your daily life. Why not use the beginning of 2025 to implement healthy strategies to help protect your identity and your peace of mind? Check out our suggestions for how to put your security plans into action.
Update your passwords.
Make an overview of the login credentials that you use for your accounts. Do you use the same password across the board? Is it a fairly simple password that a hacker could quickly figure out if they wanted to? Now is the time to update those details so that people with bad intentions can’t easily access your important personal information. Use these guidelines to ensure that your passwords are hard to crack:
1. Create long, complex passwords that contain letters, numbers, and special characters.
2. Use different passwords for different accounts.
3. Don’t store your password on sticky notes or other places that someone could find it.
4. When possible, use two-factor authentication so that your phone number, fingerprint, or email address is required as a second step to log into your accounts.
Be cautious when shopping online.
If you’re like most people, you probably do a lot of shopping online. Jot down all the websites that offer to store your credit card data while you select your items. Sure, that option makes ordering faster, but that choice could compromise credit card details in a breach. Say no and thank us later. Keep this site list handy and change those preferences every time you open one of your regular supplier websites. And of course, don’t save your card number on any more sites while you’re at it.
Be careful what you keep in your wallet.
A lost or stolen wallet equals a massive headache. Just think about all the important personal information that you may store in your wallet! Here are a few tips for how to keep your wallet a little safer:
1. When going out, keep your wallet on your person at all times. If you are at the gym or some other place where you need to put down your belongings, use safe storage like a gym locker. When that’s not available, leave your possessions where you can see them.
2. Don’t keep your Social Security card in your wallet. Instead, lock it away in a safe place at home.
3. If you need access to things like membership cards, take photos on your phone and use those pictures instead of storing your cards in your wallet.
Check your credit reports.
You are legally allowed to request a free credit report from each of the major credit bureaus. Take advantage of this ability to double-check your credit. Additionally, an IDShield Membership helps you track your credit score and you can access it whenever you want in the IDShield app. We also provide credit monitoring services to keep an eye on what’s important while you go about your daily life. Make 2025 the year that you keep a closer eye on your credit!
Clean up your social media reputation.
These days, your social media accounts can say a lot about you. It’s not uncommon for new friends, romantic interests, and even potential employers to review your social media pages as they form opinions about you. That’s why it is essential for your social media sites to reflect the best version of you!
1. Run through your social pages to find anything that may reflect poorly on you.
2. Double-check posts you’ve made, photos you’ve taken, or even pictures that other friends have tagged you in.
3. Let IDShield help you manage your social media reputation with monitoring and education.
We know it’s difficult to keep track of your account security, online safety, and overall identity monitoring on your own. That’s why IDShield is here to do the hard work for you. Take advantage of your IDShield Membership and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we are in your corner!
Find out more about how IDShield helps to protect and monitor your private info.
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (“PPLSI”) provides access to identity theft services through membership-based participation. IDShield is a product of PPLSI. Some of the services provided under the plan by third party providers are subject to change without notice. All Licensed Private Investigators are licensed in the state of Oklahoma. The information made available in this blog is meant to provide general information and is not intended to provide professional advice, render an opinion, or provide a recommendation as to a specific matter. The blog post is not a substitute for competent and professional advice. Information contained in the blog may be provided by authors who could be third-party paid contributors. All information by authors is accepted in good faith; however, PPLSI makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of such information.
