Identity Theft Protection - Quiz
What is your ID IQ?
Are you a target for Identity Theft? Identity Theft can happen to anyone, but there are steps you can take to minimize the possibility. Take this Quiz and see how you stack up.
The right answers with explanations and scoring criteria are at the end of the questions.
GOOD LUCK!!
1. When you receive an unsolicited offer of a "pre-approved" credit card in the mail, you:
a. Shred it
b. Throw it in the trash unopened
c. Open the envelope, and then throw the contents away
d. Use the envelope to send back other junk mail
2. What do you do if an expected credit card bill doesn't arrive?
a. Suspect it was intercepted and contact the credit card company
b. Figure you got off easy that month
c. Calculate how much you think you owe and send a check
d. Wait a couple of weeks and see if it shows up
3. How often do you check your credit reports?
a. Every time I apply for a loan
b. Whenever it is convenient
c. I check it regularly
d. What is a credit report?
4. When you send mail, do you:
a. Put it in the mailbox and raise the red flag the night before
b. Put it in the mailbox and raise the red flag in the morning before heading off to work
c. Ask your neighbor to drop it off at the post office since it is on his way to work
d. Drop it off at the post office yourself
5. When you receive mail:
a. Someone is at home and it is hand delivered
b. It sits in my mailbox for an hour or less
c. It sits in my mailbox for 5 hours or more
d. I pick it up at the post office
6. At this moment, where is your social security card?
a. In my wallet or purse
b. In the glove box of my car
c. In a secure location at home
d. I loaned it to my landscaper from across the border
7. How often do you check your credit card statements?
a. As soon as I get the statement
b. Right before paying it
c. Online from a secure computer
d. Whenever I get around to it
8. How often do you balance your checkbook?
a. Monthly
b. Quarterly
c. Yearly
d. When the bank says I am over drawn
9. When you receive an unsolicited phone call to buy something you:
a. Listen to the sales pitch and if it is a good deal you give them whatever information they
need
b. Shout an expletive and hang up
c. Give them the names and number of people you don't really like
d. Report them to the FCC since you are on the do not call list
10. Where do you keep financial records in your home?
a. In a locked safe
b. On the nearest flat surface
c. In a file cabinet
d. In an unlocked safe cause you cant remember the combination
11. Your online service provider call and says they need your social security number and password. Do you:
a. Give it to them
b. Make one up
c. Report them to your provider
d. Ask them for a phone number so you can call them back
12. When you receive and email with a get rich-quick scheme that includes and attachment, you:
a. Hurry to open it up, since this might be your lucky day
b. Delete it immediately
c. Open the email but not the attachment
d. Forward to everyone in your address book
13. You receive and email from Nigeria saying if you can help the sender transfer money out of the country, you will be rewarded with a large chunk of it, you:
a. Provide whatever personal information they ask for
b. Shop for a new car
c. Delete it
d. Report them to the Nigerian embassy
14. When you select a computer password, you use:
a. Random letters and numbers
b. Your mothers maiden name
c. You pets name
d. Your birthday
15. At work, how often do you change your password?
a. Weekly
b. Monthly
c. Daily
d. Never, I stay logged on-it is much easier that way
16. Where do you store your computer passwords
a. Taped to the monitor
b. Upper right hand drawer under a picture of my dog
c. I memorize them
d. In my wallet
17. If you lose your wallet or you think it is stolen, you should:
a. Call your bank, creditors, and the DMV immediately to alert them
b. Go back to bed and hope tomorrow will be better
c. Buy a new wallet
d. Do nothing, since you believe people are inherently good and it will be returned
18. If you lose your wallet and tit is returnee to you with everything seemingly intact, you:
a. Call your bank, creditors and the DMV to alert them immediately and to see if the cards have
been used
b. Call your bank, creditors and the DMV immediately and ask for replacements
c. Thank your lucky stars
d. Take the finder to lunch
19. When you go out of town, you:
a. Suspend delivery of your newspaper
b. Suspend delivery of your newspaper and ask the post office to hold your mail
c. Have a local teen gather your mail and water your plants
d. Tell all your neighbors you will be gone on vacation and to keep an eye on the place
20. You read in the newspaper that your credit card company had a security breach and many creit card numbers were stolen or inadvertently revealed to a third party. You:
a. Call the company and complain
b. Do nothing, if you are affected, you will be sure that they will notify you
c. Call and cancel the card
d. Call all your banks and credit card companies and ask for new account numbers
1. A. You should shred them. Dumpster divers can recover and fill out the applications, cash
the attached blank checks, or just get your personal information from the offers
2. A. While it may have been damaged or lost at the post office, err on the side of caution
and contact your credit card company.
3. C. Monitoring your credit report on a regular basis is an important factor in quickly
uncovering potential identity theft.
4. D. If you leave the mail in the mailbox overnight or for many hours before the mailman
picks up, thieves could get there first, especially if they know no-one is home.
5. D. Unless it is hand-delivered, mail that sits in a mail box for many hours is and
excellent target for ID thieves. For example, there is o way for you to know if an unsolicited
credit card offer was intercepted until it was too late.
6. C. There is no reason to carry your social security card. If you need it for employment
or credit purposes, return it to a secure location immediately afterward.
7. A. You should check to see if your charges match what you actually bought as soon as the
statement arrives. If your check them online, be sure your computer has a firewall and updated
virus protection.
8. A. You should balance your checkbook and study your statement every month.
9. D. You should be on the "DO NOT CALL" list. Unsolicited sales calls are never good
news.
10. A. You should keep your records in a secure location. However, some smaller lock boxes
can be easily carted away.
11. D. Reputable internet service providers will never call and ask for personal information.
12. B or C. Deleting email before opening attachments avoids an possible virus or spyware
that can access personal information on your computer.
13. C. It is a scam. Delete it. Believe it or not, people still fall for it.
14. A. Random letters and numbers are the safest. There are remote computer programs that
can run through millions of possibilities in minutes to decode passwords.
15. A. Once a week is probably a good idea.
16. C. If memorizing your passwords is impossible, find a secure location to store them. By
putting passwords in your wallet you are offering thieives "one stop shopping" should you ever
lose your wallet.
17. A. Notifying banks, credit card companies and the DMV will minimize the damage and
increase the chances the crooks will be caught. Requesting replacements will eliminate
"delayed" criminal action.
18. B. Better to be safe than sorry. Alert your bank and credit card companies and ask for
replacemtents. Your numbers could have been copied before your wallet was returned to you. Of
course, if you could take the finder to lunch, if you are so inclined, but make sure you credit is
still good before hand.
19. B. While the teen may be trustworthy, realize there is added risk involved. If you must
do thin in order to ensure the survival of some rare plant, make sure the teen's parents know
and it is a family you can trust.
20. D. While canceling the card might be sufficient, if the breach allows the perpetrators
access to all you personal information, it could reverberate through to other financial scams.
SCORE SHEET
10 to 20 wrong: You are a prime candidate for disaster. Take steps to improve your ID IQ. You can study the correct answers to the questions to figure out how to minimize your risk of becoming an identity theft. One of the easiest ways to protect your self is with our preferred provider Life Lock.
5 to 9 wrong: You have plenty of room for improvement. You also need to improve your ID IQ and work to minimize your risk of becoming and identity theft. The easiest way to accomplish that is by signing up to protect yourself with our preferred provider Life Lock.
1 to 4 wrong: You are doing good but you still need to tighten things up. You still need to work to minimize your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. One of the easiest ways to close the gap and protect your self is with our preferred provider Life Lock.
All 20 Correct: Excellent. You're doing everything right!! You have minimized your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. But remember, you cannot completely prevent identity theft but signing up for our preferred provider Life Lock is a sure fire way to make you chance of becoming a victim nearly zero.
| Q | What should I do if I am deep in debt? |
| A | Whether it is caused by illness, the loss of your job, or simply just over-spending, a
financial crisis of this sort can seem overwhelming, but it often can be overcome. Don't let
your financial situation go from bad to worse.
Realistic budgeting, credit counseling from a good organization, debt consolidation, or bankruptcy, are some of your options. Knowing which one will work best for you depends on how high your debt is, if you can discipline yourself, and your prospects for the future. |