Identifying theft prevention measures: 10 security tips

Security tips for theft prevention.

Identity theft is more common than you think. As defined by the Federal Trade Commission, it comprises any personal data loss that takes place as a result of a scam, deception, or related crime. This includes the loss of usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, health IDs, and other banking information. It seems that fraud is the main reason why identity theft happens in the first place. According to the same FTC, U.S. citizens and major organizations have lost over $900 million to identity theft in 2017 alone.

Over the past two decades, many U.S. states have started their own authorities and departments that either work to prevent identity theft or to subsequently help victims recover their losses. This is the case of Wisconsin, California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Maryland. Financial losses due to identity theft have accumulated to such a degree that each state has recently instituted a set of laws for related crimes.