Identity theft protection for your wallet or purse is an essential key to protecting your identity. It is widely believed that identity theft is a virtual crime; a crime that occurs online when someone makes a purchase on a non-secured website or when they are filling out a form.  However, seventy-five percent of all identity theft crimes occur in real life.   Situations that lend themselves to identity theft are leaving your trash cans out where they are accessible to all or mingling in large groups of people where your purse or wallet might be taken.

Have you ever left your purse sitting in the shopping cart at the grocery store?  Or had someone bump into you as you stood in line at the movie theater?  These are two places where pickpockets take advantage of people who are chatting or preoccupied with their tasks.

Not only do these criminals avail themselves of the cash that you’ve stored there, but they also get a cache of information about you from your driver’s license, social security card, cell phone and of course your  credit cards.  For some it is only about the quick cash, but for others, the sensitive information is the real treasure.   Some thieves use that sensitive information themselves, but more often they sell it  to others who might not use it right when the theft occurs.  Instead you find out months or even years later that your identity was stolen.

With such a threat out there, a wise shopper will always strive for identity theft protection for your wallet or purse, and take care to shred any sensitive information they put in the trash before they walk the cans to the curb.  Some other tips to keep your personal belongings safer are:

Make a checklist: Take time right now to write down everything that you carry in your purse or wallet.  Don’t do it from memory – open up your purse, your wallet and be sure.  Then take each of your pieces of identification and your credit cards and photocopy both sides of them.  Take your list and your photocopies and lock them away safely at home or in your safety deposit box.  If the unthinkable should happen, the list will help you report the incident and get you on the right path to recovery.

Keep your belongings close: If you carry a purse, shorten the strap so that the zipper or opening tucks safely under your arm.  If your straps are not adjustable, be sure to shorten it by placing over your head and one shoulder.  Be even more secure by wearing it forward on your body.  For wallets, don’t put them in your back pocket!  Your front pocket is the most secure location, followed by an interior jacket pocket with your jacket buttoned or zipped.

Eliminate clutter: Don’t carry the kitchen sink with you.  For effective identity theft protection, that means you should carry only the things you really need in your purse and wallet.  Minimize your cash, minimize the number of credit cards and instead of your checkbook, carry only one check inside your wallet, just in case you need it.  A lighter load will be easier to resolve if your belongings are taken.

Don’t be a target.  Use common sense and protect your wallet or purse from identity thieves. Practice identity theft protection and deter the identity thieves that walk among us every day.