The primary reason that it is important to limit the amount of personal and financial information you carry with you as a means of preventing identity theft actually is rather simple. The reality is that if your purse or wallet ends up lost or stolen and in the hands of an identity thief, that crook literally can go to town. In one instant, the identity thief will have all of the information that he or she will need to misappropriate your identity instantly.
With this in mind, you may be wondering what items you should carry with you when you are away from home as part of your strategy of preventing identity theft. The fact is that you should take along your drivers license or identification card. Moreover, you can carry one credit card with you as well. When all is said and done, you have no need to carry anything else with you.
Definitely leave your Social Security card at home. The only time that you ever need to remove your Social Security card from your home is when you have started a new job and you need to demonstrate that you legally are eligible for employment.
While you may find yourself struggling to remember passwords, you absolutely cannot write those down and put them into your wallet or purse. Doing so can have disastrous consequences if an ID thief gets his or her hands on your debit cards and your passwords.
In the end, when it comes to preventing identity theft, you need to understand that you actually are going to have to sacrifice convenience for security. You will need to sacrifice convenience for the peace of mind of knowing that you are doing everything necessary as a means of preventing identity theft.