5 ways to Prevent Identity Theft during a Move

One thing about home removal that you should be careful about is preventing identity theft. Organising the move and planning every step of the process is tough enough; you don’t need the extra stress coming from fear of someone taking a hold of your personal information.
There are many risks associated with moving and identity theft, from losing important documents and hardware that contains your personal details to having misdirected mail and leaving a residence unoccupied for a while. In order to retain your peace of mind as the man with a van team handles the job and you move on with the process, it is important to be mindful of few key elements to ensure identity theft doesn’t occur. Protect yourself by following these 5 tips:

• Pick your movers carefully - it goes without saying that a good moving company can turn a tough move into a pleasant walk in the park, but unfortunately the opposite is also true - dishonest companies will make you feel like you are in a nightmare. The thing to keep in mind is that the moving company has access to your possessions, so it makes sense to select a reliable firm. Try to look for authentic client feedback, which is a solid clue against rogue movers. A trustworthy company has good ratings on popular sites like Yelp. Don’t ever choose moving companies you know nothing about just because they offer a good deal, as that could mean trouble. Ask the man with van staff for identification when they arrive and double-check with the company if everything is ok before you proceed with handling your belongings over to them.
• Keep your documents with you - certain documents, such as financial records and bills, contain valuable personal information, which you don’t want to expose. Never make the mistake of transporting such items along with the boxes the man and van service takes care of. Store your most important records in a locked safe and keep them with you during the move. If you want to be safe, you should inspect your documents and destroy the outdated pieces you no longer need. Use a shredding machine or burn them to guarantee no identity thief gets a hold of them.
• Protect online information - safeguarding important information you have stored on your computers and smart electronic devices is another key element you need to look into. Make sure that no one has access to these items during your move and that they are properly protected with passwords and other measures against identity thieves. In case you want to give away or discard such device in any way, wipe out all data before that.
• Take your time to direct your mail where it’s needed - protecting the documents you already own is one thing, but you should also make sure that documents that are on their way to you don’t get lost. After all, if certain financial documents and records reach the wrong person, you may be at risk. Change of address should be issued before you move so that information meant for you finds you after the home removal is over. If you want to be completely safe, you should call all institutions and check if they have your current address.
• Freeze your bank operations during the move - in order to prevent new lines of credit being opened under your name, you can seize all bank operations and focus on getting your home relocation done with before resuming. This is a simple safeguard mechanism, which will alert you in time if something is wrong so that you can act accordingly.