What is Identity Theft? Tips To Safeguard Yourself From It

Mr. Mehra received a call from someone claiming to be from his bank for offering a free Platinum Credit Card. The person visited on second day at agreed time, helped him feel the form, took signatures & documents, thanked him and went away.

One day, Mr. Mehra got a call from his bank asking to pay the Credit Card overdue billed amount. He wondered for which card? After few seconds he realized the mistake he did. His Identity was stolen to acquire the Credit Card and use it at his expense.

You can follow these simple steps to avoid any such case and Identity Theft

• Confirm the identity & bonafides of the sales executive visiting you before handing over signed form and related documents.
• Make a note of his name, application form number, contact phone number and ID number for future reference.
• Keep photocopies of the documents that you need to submit with the application. Never hand over the original documents like the PAN card, election Id card, Ration Card etc to strangers.
• Never hand over your existing credit card for exchange or upgrade.
• If you do not hear from the executive or bank after a while, check with your bank

Note: Always destroy your unused cards, check leaves, paid bills of utilities like telephone, mobile, internet etc, old photocopies of driving license, PAN card, passport etc.