Seniors are continually warned about the risks of identity theft. Scammers are quite clever, using fake phone calls and tricky text messages to try to get your personal information. But far too many people make it really easy for scammers to access their personal information. It’s often sitting in plain sight in their wallet.
An article by Real Simple suggests you clean out your wallet, getting rid of excess items that contain personally identifiable information such as:
- Social Security card – If an unscrupulous person gets hold of your Social Security Number they can apply for credit cards in your name.
- Bank cards – Credit cards offer some protection, but the article points out that “if someone fraudulently uses your debit card, the funds are instantly taken from your account, meaning you’ve lost that money.”
- Old receipts – This may seem innocent enough, but experts caution that “scammers can use the information from your receipt, such as a purchase, store, and the last four digits of your credit card number, to make their lies seem convincing.” They might call you and pose as the fraud alert department and trick you into revealing sensitive information.
- Passwords – It seems everything is password protected these days and it’s hard to remember all the unique passwords you create. You might be tempted to keep a cheat sheet, but you definitely don’t want this information to get into the wrong hands.
The experts recommend keep only your driver’s license, one credit card and an emergency contact card.
Council of Seniors Wants to Support Older Americans
The Council of Seniors strives to help seniors stay financially fit.
We are working diligently to get Congress to passThe SAVE Benefits Act. This crucial bill will put $581 back in retirees’ pockets to make up for Social Security cost-of-living adjustments that were far too low for years.
Sign our petition today to support our efforts. Congress has ignored the growing number of seniors expecting action for way too long.