Step Two – Be Safe Online
Make sure you have the latest, up to date ant-malware software in place on your computer before you use it for surfing the Internet, and if you can afford it invest in a good firewall as well, as this will help protect your computer against direct attacks from hackers. Avoid visiting websites by clicking on links from banner ads, chat rooms, forums or unsolicited emails as these can often lead you to fake websites that are loaded with malware. You should also be very careful about opening unsolicited emails in general, as they can often contain scams and infected attachments, so if you are unsure about the email just delete it without opening it. Remember your bank or credit card company would never contact you via email to request personal information from you, so if you do receive any requests like this do not reply as it is almost guaranteed to be a scam designed to trick you into revealing your identity to a fraudster.

Step Three – Keep Your Plastic Cards Safe
Try and limit the amount of plastic cards you own, as this will make it easier for you to keep a track of them. Only carry them around with you if you really need them, and make sure you check the bills thoroughly each month for any suspicious charges. When you are paying for goods or taking money out of the ATM machine make sure you cover the keypad as you type in your PIN and make sure no one is stood to close to you, and if you are paying for goods or services online or over the phone then double check you are talking to a legitimate person or using a secure encrypted online payment portal before you hand over your card details.

How does the National Do Not Call Registry Work?
Once you have registered your details with the National Do Not Call Registry telemarketing companies will have 31 days to remove your telephone number from their calling lists.  You can check to see if your number has been listed on the registry by going online to www.donotcall.gov or by calling the NDNCR toll free 1-888-382-1222, and you can list up to three personal landline numbers at once time.  Telemarketing companies are prohibited from using their industry standard automated dialling systems for cell phone numbers, so you will not need to register these with the NDNCR.  Once your details have been registered they will be held securely and not shared with any third parties (you can see more information about the FTC’s privacy policy at www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.shtm).  If you want to go back to receiving telemarketing calls you can also contact the NDNCR and get your number removed from the registry, and telemarketers can then add your number back to their calling lists (if they wish to).

The FTC regulates and administers the National Do Not Call Registry, so you should be wary of anyone calling you or advertising that they will registry your name on the NDNCR, especially if they are charging a fee for doing this for you, as in actual fact you can register your own number for free by contacting the NDNCR directly or through an official state government channel.