Protecting your personal information can help reduce your risk of identity theft. There are four main ways to do it: know who you share information with store and dispose of your personal information securely, especially your social security number ask questions before deciding to share your personal information and maintain appropriate security on your computers and other electronic devices. Lock your financial documents and records in a safe place at home, and lock your wallet or purse in a safe place at work.

Make a copy of your medicare card and black out all but the last four digits on the copy. Carry the copy with you unless you are going to use your card at the doctor’s office. Before you share information at your workplace, a business, your child's school, or a doctor's office, ask why they need it, how they will safeguard it, and the consequences of not sharing. Shred receipts, credit offers, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks, bank statements, expired charge cards, and similar documents when you don’t need them any longer. Don’t share your health plan information with anyone who offers free health services or products.

When you order new checks, don’t have them mailed to your home, unless you have a secure mailbox with a lock. The 3 nationwide credit reporting companies operate the phone number and website. Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or know who you’re dealing with. If a company that claims to have an account with you sends email asking for personal information, don’t click on links in the email. Instead, type the company name into your web browser, go to their site, and contact them through customer service.

Check your owner’s manual, the service provider’s website, or the device manufacturer’s website for information on how to delete information permanently, and how to save or transfer information to a new device. Remove the phone book, lists of calls made and received, voicemails, messages sent and received, organizer folders, web search history, and photos. To guard your online transactions, use encryption software that scrambles information you send over the internet. A lock icon on the status bar of your internet browser means your information will be safe when it’s transmitted. Be creative: think of a special phrase and use the first letter of each word as your password.

If you post too much information about yourself, an identity thief can find information about your life, use it to answer ‘challenge’ questions on your accounts, and get access to your money and personal information. Never post your full name, social security number, address, phone number, or account numbers in publicly accessible sites. Keep a close hold on your social security number and ask questions before deciding to share it. If someone asks you to share your ssn or your child’s, ask: why they need it how it will be used how they will protect it what happens if you don’t share the number the decision to share is yours. A business may not provide you with a service or benefit if you don’t provide your number. Your employer and financial institutions need your ssn for wage and tax reporting purposes. A business may ask for your ssn so they can check your credit when you apply for a loan, rent an apartment, or sign up for utility service.

Protect against intrusions and infections that can compromise your computer files or passwords by installing security patches for your operating system and other software programs. Don’t open files, click on links, or download programs sent by strangers. opening a file from someone you don’t know could expose your system to a computer virus or spyware that captures your passwords or other information you type. Before you send personal information over your laptop or smartphone on a public wireless network in a coffee shop, library, airport, hotel, or other public place, see if your information will be protected.