Identity theft can be financially and emotionally devastating and with nearly 15 million cases every year in the United States, you can’t do too much to protect yourself. Here are 12 gadgets and tips to help you keep your identity to yourself.
Unsecured mailboxes can provide an identity thief with a smorgasbord of personal information. The Mail Boss is a U.S. Post Master approved 12-gauge steel lockable security mailbox that protects your mail until you retrieve it.
Retail Price: $199
Photo Source: Company Press Release
A lost flash drive can be an identity disaster. The rugged IronKey USB storage device is encrypted so that data cannot be retrieved without the proper authentication. The encryption is on the hardware and cannot be disabled and will wipe out all data if 10 incorrect password attempts are made.
Retail Price: Between $79 and $299
Photo Source: Company Website
RFID devices are becoming more prevalent making your personal information vulnerable to be “skimmed” from an enabled device. DIFRWear wallets and cases protect RFID information in passports, credit cards and other IDs by blocking any signals with a radio shielding mesh.
Retail between $22.98 and $42.99
Photo Source: Company Website
Personal information doesn’t just live on paper these days. The Dahle Multi-Media shredder can take up to 30 pages and handle staples and paper clips and can also handle a variety of materials including CDs, DVDs, and credit cards making it ideal for a variety of personal and business uses.
Retail Price: $2,595
Photo Source: Company Press Release
You can’t be too secure on the road and this portable travel safe is perfect to store passports, cash, cameras, or phones since steel cable secures it to a fixture in your hotel room. The stainless steel mesh lining prevents it from being slashed open keeping your valuables secure and readily available.
Retail Price: $44.99
Photo Source: Company Press Release
We live in a password-centric world and keeping track of all those passwords is a balance between security and memory. This USB fingerprint reader will create ultra-secure complex passwords that will only be input on a successful fingerprint authentication. No more writing down or e-mailing forgotten passwords.
Retail Price: $55
Photo Source: Company Website
Get peace of mind for your Android, Windows Mobile or Symbian phone with this software. The basic version will let you lock your phone or even erase confidential information remotely and can help locate a missing or stolen phone. The advanced version adds more protection for your identity while Web browsing and prevents mobile viruses and bugs.
Retail Price: Free download for the basic version and $39.99/year for the full Mobile Security package.
Photo Source: Company Website
Advanced devices like the BlackBerry or iPhone can store personal information both on the device and off the memory card. When it comes time to discard the device, be sure to use the built in commands to wipe all stored data, but be careful, the data erase in un-retrievable!
iPhone: Go to Settings – General – Reset- Erase All Content & Settings
BlackBerry: Go to Settings - Options – Security Options – General Settings – click Menu Button – Wipe Handheld
It may be convenient to have a favorite web site remember your login and password, but anyone who has possession of your device will be able to login as you. Make sure you manually enter your passwords every time.
You might not even think about throwing your phone in a bag with your wallet, but it is much easier to steal your identity when you have the physical ID and all the information typically stored on a cell phone. Try to keep the two separate when possible.
Many card issuers allow you to setup alerts and confirmations for transactions meeting certain criteria like when your account information is changed, or for irregular purchases. This service may have to be opted into so make sure you use what is available to you.
To help prevent “Bluesnarfing” or unauthorized access to information through a Bluetooth connection, make sure your devices are not left in ‘Discoverable mode.’ If you lose a device, make sure to delete the pairing and if you don’t use Bluetooth at all turn off the function completely.