Prevent Identity Theft with Processed Checks

Every time when you receive your stack of processed
checks along with your monthly statement in the mail box,
you're unknowingly increasing your odds of becoming an
identity theft victim.

Want some to know some easy ways to thwart those
identity thieves who use check fraud?

While it's certainly a preferred practice to shred
your statement and checks after you've reconciled your
monthly account, you can go even further by eliminating
the potential for an identity thief to steal your
information from your mail box.

1. Most major banks now offer a number of on-line options
   for you to receive your statement via a secure website.
   Additionally, banks will also provide the ability for
   you to view (and print if necessary) an electronic version
   of your processed checks for tax receipt purposes.
2. Plus, you can schedule automatic payment of your
   regularly reoccurring bills to further eliminate the
   need for paper invoices needing to be sent via postal
   mail where there's at least two opportunities each
   month for all of your personal information to be stolen.

(Side-note, one of our staffers was stung 4 years ago
by an identity theft ring which was operating with
disgruntled USPS mail employees)

So, our tip for today is to consider the following
steps to protect your banking and financial statements
from mail intercept methods of identity thieves:

• Install a lockable mail box or better yet a mail slot
  on your front door which only allows your deposited
  mail to be accessed from inside your locked home.
• Enroll with your bank's on-line bill payment service,
  then..
• Opt out of receiving paper based statements each month
  from your banking, credit card, phone, Internet/DSL,
  cable, movie, power and electric service providers.
• Request your checking statements to be delivered as
  on-line versions that only you can access via your
  bank's secure, password protected web site.
• Finally, shred all of your old statements using a
  quality cross-cut shredder.