Introduction
Try this quiz to find out what is your risk for identity theft. The lower your score, the lower your chance for identity theft. For each question answered “yes,” add the specified points to your score.
Questions
1. I use checks for shopping and carry my checkbook with me in public.
+10
2. I pay bills with checks and place them in my mailbox or in a corner postal box.
+10
3. I do not use direct deposit or electronic transfer for paychecks, refunds, or insurance claim checks.
+10
4. I have new boxes of checks mailed to my home.
+10
5. I have not “opted out” of my credit card issuers’ marketing programs and receive “convenience” checks on my card account in the mail.
+10
6. I wear my wallet in my back pocket or I carry a purse.
+10
7. I have at least one item in my wallet with my Social Security number on it.
+10
8. I carry more than two credit cards with me or have not copied the front and back of each card and know where the copies are.
+5
9. I do not shred banking or credit information before trashing.
+10
10. I use a shredder, but it is not a crosscut shredder.
+5
11. I have not called the credit reporting agencies “Opt Out Line” – 1-888-567-8688 to be removed from credit card application mailings.
+5
12. I have not ordered copies of my credit report in two years.
+10
Interpreting Your Score
100+
More than 1 million people will become victims of ID theft this year. You are at high risk.
50–100
Your odds of being victimized are about average.
0–50
Congratulations, you have low vulnerability.
