What’s Your ID Theft Risk Number?
Just when you finally figured out how to get your all important FICO credit score – another important number pops up in your life: your ID score. Your ID Score can alert you to your risk for identity theft.
In use now for a decade by financial institutions and other creditors, the ID score calculates the risk that customers are who they say they are. Now for the first time, San Diego based ID Analytics, one of the companies that develop and sell the score to businesses, is making it available to consumers for free on the web. www.myidscore.com
You must fill out your contact information (your social security number IS NOT required) and answer some simple questions about your financial history. The result is a score between 1 and 999. The higher the score, the more you are at risk for identity theft. If your score is high, there are links provided to the nonprofit identity, Theft Resource Center, which can help you learn how to protect yourself.
From your results page, you can also request your free credit report, as well as get links to other agencies offering assistance if necessary. At the bottom of this article, I’ve included a link to the Federal Trade Commission and their information on Identity Theft.
I performed this risk check on myself and came up with a “low risk” ID score. Actually, it was lower than I had expected based on the number of Internet purchases I make on a regular basis.
Remember, it’s important to stay vigilant about protecting your identity. Always shred sensitive documents before throwing them away, exercise caution when providing personal information on-line, and perhaps even consider using a secure mailbox for receiving incoming mail. You can’t be too careful these days.
Federal Trade Commission- Identity Theft Website
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/index.html
