Identity theft risks: What’s in your wallet?
Lost or stolen wallets are the most common source of information for identity thieves. If you examing the contents of your own wallet, it’s easy to see how much damage you could suffer if it ever ended up in someone else’s hands.
I’ll tell you what’s in my wallet, and you compare it with yours. The smartest move I’ve made was taking my own and my son’s Social Security cards out of my wallet. A person’s SSN is the Rosetta stone of their identity, and the Holy Grail to identity thieves.
Driver’s license: By law, I have to have this one with me, but if I ever lost my wallet, this would provide identity thieves with a good starting point for passing themselves off as me. My name, address and date of birth (DOB) are right on there.
Two bank cards: Bad news. These make me especially vulnerable to ID theft. Unless I was planning to make an ATM run or go on a shopping trip, there’s no reason to carry these.
Auto insurance cards for two cars: The law says I have to carry them with me, but they should be in the glove compartment instead of my wallet.
Health insurance cards for my son and me: These don’t belong in there. If they were lost or stolen, thieves would have my name, DOB and place of employment. They would also have my son’s name and DOB, rendering both of us vulnerable to medical identity theft.
Dental insurance card: These should only be in there for scheduled appointments.
Gift cards from five different stores, total value, roughly $150: These can’t be used against me by identity thieves, but it’d be a shame if someone else used them.
$105 cash: With this much cash in my wallet, there’s really no reason to carry the bankcards, unless a shopping trip was planned
One department store credit card, $1,800 available credit: Not as bad as the bankcards, but still bad news.
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This entry was posted
on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pm and is filed under identity theft protection.
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