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Keep Your Private Information Safe - Here's How
Emma Reed 

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You don’t have to feel pressured to reveal your personal information to anyone - sometimes not even a potential employer. The following tips will help you prevent your private information from falling into the wrong hands.

1. Don’t tell-all without good reason. When signing up for a savings card at a grocery or retail store, you will often be asked to reveal information that is not truly necessary for you to receive the savings. Avoid giving out your phone number, date of birth, income level, education level or any other personal data without a valid reason.

2. Stay safe when you surf online. Think twice about what you post on a message board, your personal website or in an Internet profile. Including your full birth date, address, social security number or other private information can be a magnet for identity thieves.

3. Be smart while job hunting. It’s okay to keep your social security number private until a company is ready to hire you. When surfing online web boards, check the legitimacy of a company before sending off your resume. Different companies have different privacy policies, and submitting your resume to an organization with a more lax policy is not in your best interest.

4. Keep your extra cards at home. If you have credit or debit cards - or even checks - that you don’t use very often, there is no need to carry them around with you. You can leave your social security card and birth certificate at home, too.

5. Avoid the red flag. Flagging your personal mailbox to send bill payments or other mail that contains sensitive information can be enticing for scammers. Thieves sometimes keep an eye out for these flags and raid mailboxes for personal info. Your best bet is to pay and receive bills electronically.

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