Red Flag 1

 

STOP!  Grab your wallet or purse, and immediately remove your social security card and any other identification containing your Social Security Number, for example, a Medicare card.  Check your health insurance card, and if contains your Social Security Number remove it, and contact your health insurance company to request them to send you a new card with a generic identification number.

 

Some experts and studies suggest that a significant number of people become victims each year through lost or stolen identification that contains their Social Security Number and birth date. 

 

Your Social Security Number (SSN) and birth date are like gold to a thief.  Guard these numbers as though they are your most precious asset.  Your financial credibility, medical record, insurability, government identification, social security benefits, tax status, and your character are all linked to your SSN.

 

Some people, especially senior citizens believe they need to carry their social security card and Medicare card with them at all times.  This is not true.  If you have a special situation, where you think you are going to need these forms of identification, bring them with you. But when you are finished, keep them in a secure place in your home.

You will not be refused emergency medical treatment if you do not have your health insurance of Medicare card on your person.

 

You should also remove unnecessary credit cards from your wallet or purse.  Minimize the number of credit and debit cards you carry with you.  So if your wallet or purse is lost or stolen, you will only need to be concerned about the one or two cards you lost. 

 

A final word about whether you should sign or credit cards or not. The current recommendation is to sign your credit cards, and in addition to write on back of the credit card, “check two forms of ID.”