Identity theft is not preventable.  Taking these steps are not a guarantee that you won’t still become a victim.  Statistically speaking, one in seven Americans will become a victim in 2023.  If you have six friends, then one of you will fall prey.  The only question remaining is how serious will it be, and what methods will be used.

First, and foremost, guard your private information.  Start asking people that are asking for it, why they need it.  Then ask them how they will safeguard your information.  Examples might be doctor’s offices asking for a SSAN, or law enforcement officers want it to write on your speeding ticket.  For them it is a way to verify your identity, but your DL # is all they should need.

Here are some other ways to keep you and your family safe: 

Make your passwords difficult for a human or machine to guess (use numbers as well as capital and lower case letters even symbols) and change them frequently. Do not write them down or leave them on a personal computer. It is difficult to remember many passwords, so consider using easy to remember acronyms. For example, for a bank account password, you might say, "This is my Bank on the Corner of 8th Street." The password would then be TimBotCo8S. You can make the password longer or shorter according to your preference.

Don't use the same password for all your accounts. For example, your financial accounts passwords should not be the same as your email account, and especially not the same as your password for a less important account like an online newspaper.

Always be diligent about checking your credit card statements, bank account statements, and any government statements to monitor for irregular activity.

Use only your first and middle initials and last name on preprinted checks and consider having them routed to a post office box.

On the "for" line on checks, don't write the entire account number, only the last four digits.

Try to avoid stand-alone ATMs that aren't affiliated with a bank or are not attached to a building surface. Criminals have been known to use skimming techniques (scanning your card and PIN information) by replacing stand-alone machines with their own.

Shred all your bills and credit offers before throwing them out.

Beware of telemarketers asking for your social security number, and be wary of giving your personal information over the phone.

Monitor your credit report and any posted credit activity.  Credit reports are often in error by as much as 25%.

Michael McKee is a long-time member of the Omaha business community. If you have something to share with Michael McKee, you can write to michael@omahadailyrecord.com, or you can attend at the Omaha Empowerment Breakfast (OmahaEmpowermentBreakfast.org). This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a licensed professional.