To help combat military identity theft, review the following helpful info and tips:
1) Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal information: their name, account number, access information (password, email address) Social Security number or other personal information. They use this info to turn around and apply for credit, make purchases or commit other fraud. So first, be alert to this.
2) Among recent steps to help protect military personnel and their loved ones from identity thieves is action taken by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. They have dropped the first five digits of everyone’s Social Security number from printed copies of leave, checks and earnings statements.
3) The E-Government Act of 2001, put in place by the Defense Department, now help control the type of personal information that is permitted to be posted on government websites.
4) The Defense Department along with the Federal Trade Commission launched Military Sentinel, an online complaint network. This network lets military members and Defense civilian employees log on and report identity theft plus some other frauds, as well.
5) Identity and other information about you is stored in many different places. So know that many of these locations with stored data are out of your (and the military’s) control, even though many of them are available to the general public. Beware what you share, because an identity thief can and will go to great lengths to learn more about you, simply by accessing publicly available information.
6) Take action and learn about identity theft and identity theft protection. Learn about your rights and privacy laws. Ask questions before sharing private information. You don’t have to give out your information to everyone who asks – and shouldn’t.
Start taking more note of your surroundings and your information sharing. Some people unfortunately want to use your info for harm. To help yourself and protect others, too, you need to stay informed about identity theft.
So bookmark helpful sites about identity theft, follow advice and tips there and alert authorities to any unscrupulous activity you encounter with regards to your personal and private information.