Avoiding Identity Theaft – Things You Shouldn’t Keep in Your Wallet

It’s always nice to have those important documents ready when you need them, but if those documents are within reach they’re also that much easier for idenentity thieves You may like to have all your documents within reach … but so do identity thieves to steal. According to Yahoo Finance, these are 8 things you should not carry in your wallet:

1. Social Security Card (or even just your SS number) – A stolen Social Security Card pretty much means identity theft. If you are retired, don’t carry your Medicaid card. A copy is fine, but black out the last four digits of your Social Security number.

2. Sheet with your passwords – It’s just not a good idea to have passwords on you. Keep them somewhere safe – there are also apps for that you can download to help.

3. Extra keys – If stolen, you could have a problem. Give those spare keys to someone you trust like a friend or relative. Worst case scenario: you lose your set and call your friend for help.

4. Checks – Keep those extra boxes in a safe place. If someone has your blank checks, they can cause some serious damage.

5. Passport – Getting a hold of this can be an identity thief’s dream. Just have your license on you. If you are traveling, carry a copy of your passport and keep the real one in the hotel … locked up.

6. Several credit cards – If you have a lot on you, there are more to be stolen or lost. Have a paper with you that has the cancellation numbers on it.

7. Birth certificate – Just like your passport and Social Security Card, this is a bad item to lose or have stolen for pretty obvious reasons.

8. A lot of receipts – If someone is smart enough, they can get your information from these receipts. Shred them, file them  or keep them in a safe place.