Have you ever noticed that almost everyone wants to know the same information that is on your driver’s license? Your full name, home address and date of birth turn up on forms at clinics, gyms, rental counters, apartment applications and online checkouts. Each request seems routine. Yet those few facts are the foundation of most identity fraud. If you want to cut your risk sharply, two habits matter more than all others: share less, and verify more. This guide explains both and shows how to apply them in 2026.
1. Tip 1: Share less
Fraud is an information business. Criminals need your details to open accounts, answer security questions, impersonate you to a bank or write a scam that sounds legitimate. Every time you hand over your name, address, birth date, Social Security number or phone number, you create another copy that can be lost, stolen or sold. The simplest way to reduce risk is to create fewer copies.
Ask three questions before sharing
- Is this required? Forms often mark fields as optional or accept a partial answer. Required fields may still be negotiable if you ask.
- Who will receive and keep it? Third parties, affiliates and marketers are common recipients.
- Is there an alternative? A PO box instead of a home address, a secondary phone number instead of your main one, or a different identifier instead of your Social Security number.
Practical ways to share less
- Use a secondary phone number for stores and online forms.
- Use a separate email for shopping and sign-ups.
- Use a PO box or mail service for non-essential mail and orders.
- Leave optional fields blank, including birth date and gender.
- Ask why when someone wants your Social Security number, and look for alternatives. The Social Security Administration explains when it is required at ssa.gov.
- Avoid photographing or scanning IDs unless necessary, and ask how scans are stored.
- Decline sweepstakes, surveys and warranty cards that ask for personal data.
- Be careful with driver’s license scans at retail counters. In some places, businesses may only need to verify age.
- Limit what you post, including your birth date, address and children’s schools.
Our article take control: forget zero liability and stop making data donations explains how small donations add up, and guarding your personal data: the perils of sweepstakes covers one big source.
Curious what’s already out there? Wiperts’ 100% Free Diagnosis shows which data brokers are listing your name, home address and phone number. Check your exposure free — it takes about a minute.
Shrink what is already out there
Sharing less going forward is only half the job. Public listings already contain your details. Search your name, and remove listings from people-search sites using official pages like spokeo.com/optout, suppression.peopleconnect.us and thatsthem.com/optout. California residents can use DROP at privacy.ca.gov/drop. Ask Google to remove results showing your contact details or ID numbers. Recheck every 60 to 90 days.
2. Tip 2: Verify more
The second habit is to verify. Most fraud involves someone contacting you and asking you to act: send money, read a code, click a link, share a number. The FTC reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses in 2025, and imposter scams, in which the contact pretends to be a bank, agency, company or relative, drew over a million reports.
The verification rule
When someone contacts you and asks for money, codes, passwords or personal information, end the contact and reach the organization yourself through a number or website you already know. Do not use phone numbers, links or addresses provided in the message. Real organizations will not mind.
How to apply it
- Banks and card issuers: call the number on the back of your card.
- Government agencies: go to the official .gov site. Agencies such as the IRS and Social Security do not demand payment by gift card, crypto or wire; see irs.gov and ssa.gov.
- Relatives in trouble: call them directly and use a family code word.
- Delivery and account alerts: open the official app or type the site.
- Employers and vendors: confirm payment changes by phone using a known number.
- Online sellers and buyers: use the platform’s official payment method.
Our guide avoiding phone scams and how to deal with online scams describe common scripts.
Slow down on money
Add friction on purpose. For any payment you were asked to make, wait at least a few hours, and talk to someone you trust. Never pay by gift card, crypto or wire at the request of someone who contacted you. Scammers rely on urgency, and delay defeats it.
3. Two habits, many amplifiers
These two habits become stronger with a few supporting tools.
Credit freeze. Free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, it blocks most new-account fraud. See what is a credit freeze, IdentityTheft.gov and consumer.ftc.gov.
MFA and unique passwords. A password manager and authenticator apps or passkeys prevent most account takeovers.
Carrier PIN. Prevents SIM swaps.
Alerts. Transaction and login alerts catch fraud early.
IRS Identity Protection PIN. Prevents fraudulent tax filings.
Reporting. Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and internet crime at ic3.gov.
For more, read effective identity theft prevention tips.
4. If you have already shared too much
Do not panic. Freeze credit, change passwords for accounts tied to the information, enable MFA, monitor statements and credit reports, and report any misuse at IdentityTheft.gov. If the data was your Social Security number, consider an IRS IP PIN and check your Social Security account. Read online personal information and identity theft.
5. A worked example
At a new dentist’s office, Carla is asked for her Social Security number on an intake form. She asks why, learns that it is optional and leaves the field blank. A week later, someone calls claiming to be from her bank. She says she will call back, uses the number on her card and finds no issue. These two small decisions, sharing less and verifying, took a few seconds each.
6. Myths about fraud prevention
“Everyone asks, so I must answer.” Many fields are optional. “If they know my details, they must be legitimate.” Details are public. “Only the careless get scammed.” Skilled criminals fool careful people. “Freezes are inconvenient.” They are quick to lift when needed.
7. When sharing is unavoidable
Some situations require identification: opening a bank account, applying for a mortgage, starting a job or filing taxes. In these cases, share the information, but control the path. Provide documents in person or through the organization’s secure portal, not by email. Confirm the identity of the requester using an independent number. Ask how long they keep copies and how they protect them. Do not send photos of your Social Security card or driver’s license over text message. Afterward, keep an eye on your credit reports and accounts, and keep your credit frozen except when you apply. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov and the Federal Trade Commission at consumer.ftc.gov explain how to protect information during major financial steps.
8. Teaching the two tips at home and at work
These habits spread best when the people around you share them. At home, make “share less, verify more” a family rule. Practice with real examples: how would we check a call from the bank, a text from a delivery company or a message from a relative asking for money? At work, build the same culture. Require callbacks for payment changes, limit who can approve transfers and give staff permission to say no without worrying about offending a senior colleague. Fraud against businesses often succeeds because someone felt unable to question an urgent request. A culture that treats verification as normal is far safer.
9. Measuring whether your habits are working
You can check your own progress. Count the places that hold your Social Security number and decide whether each is necessary. Search your name and count the people-search listings that show your address. Review your most recent unexpected requests and ask whether you verified each one. Check that your credit freezes are in place and your accounts have MFA. If the numbers drop and your verification rate rises, your habits are working. The FTC’s consumer alerts at consumer.ftc.gov are a good way to keep learning about new scams so that your verification habits stay sharp as tactics change.
10. Three scenarios
Scenario 1: A clinic asks for your SSN. Ask if it is required and whether another identifier will work.
Scenario 2: A caller says your account is compromised. Hang up and call back.
Scenario 3: A text includes a link to confirm a delivery. Open the carrier’s official app instead.
11. What to expect: a realistic timeline
| Action | Time to do | When it takes effect |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary number and email | 30 minutes | Immediate |
| Credit freezes | 30 minutes | Immediate |
| MFA and carrier PIN | 1 hour | Immediate |
| Broker opt-outs | 2 to 4 hours | Days to 4 weeks |
| Rechecks | 15 to 30 minutes | Every 60 to 90 days |
12. Common mistakes
- Giving details out of habit.
- Using contact details in the suspicious message.
- Paying quickly under pressure.
- Skipping freezes.
- Forgetting to recheck listings.
13. How Wiperts helps you share less, automatically
Wiperts scans more than 100 data brokers and people-search sites, submits removal requests, asks Google and Bing to remove personal results, blurs your home on maps and monitors 24/7 so relisted data is removed again, shrinking what criminals can find.
See what you have already shared.
100% Free Diagnosis: Check Your Exposure
Find out what data brokers have on you. Enter your details in the free scanner on the Wiperts homepage:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Select State
- Email Address
- Website
Scan Databases Now — no payment is needed to see your exposure report.
14. Key takeaways
- Share less: fewer copies of your details mean fewer chances for misuse.
- Verify more: end the contact and use an official channel.
- Add freezes, MFA, a carrier PIN and alerts.
- Remove public listings and recheck regularly.
Pick the Wiperts plan that fits your household
| Plan | Covers | One-time deep scrub | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | 1 person | $89 | $14/month |
| Couples (most popular) | 2 people | $149 | $24/month |
| Family | Up to 4 people | $199 | $39/month |
Every plan includes removal of your name, date of birth, salary, home address and phone number from 100+ data brokers and people-search sites, Google and Bing search-result removal, home blurring on maps, and 24/7 monitoring that re-removes your data if it reappears. See plans and start your removal
15. Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two best tips to prevent fraud?
Share less personal information, and verify every unexpected request through a channel you trust. Together they stop many scams and reduce identity theft risk.
Why is sharing less so effective?
Fraud depends on information. Names, addresses, birth dates and ID numbers are the ingredients for impersonation, so fewer places holding them means fewer chances to misuse them.
How do I verify a request?
End the contact and reach the organization using a number or website you already know, such as the number on your card, rather than details supplied in the message.
Why does everyone ask for my driver’s license information?
Many businesses ask for it as a convenient identifier, but you can often decline, offer a different identifier or ask why it is required and how it will be protected.
What else helps?
Credit freezes, MFA, a carrier PIN, alerts and removing your listings from people-search sites.
What should I do if I already shared too much?
Freeze your credit, change relevant passwords, monitor accounts and report problems at IdentityTheft.gov.
Sources
- ssa.gov
- spokeo.com/optout
- suppression.peopleconnect.us
- thatsthem.com/optout
- privacy.ca.gov/drop
- irs.gov
- IdentityTheft.gov
- consumer.ftc.gov
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- ic3.gov
Related Reading
- Identity Theft Prevention: 12 Steps That Work in 2026
- Take Control: Forget Zero Liability and Stop Making “Data Donations”
- Personal Privacy Standards: Rules to Live By Online
- How Personal Information Online Fuels Scams and How to Prevent Them
- Avoiding Phone Scams: How to Protect Your Number in 2026
- What Is a Credit Freeze? How to Place, Lift and Use It in 2026
- Online Personal Information and Identity Theft in 2026
- How to Deal With Online Scams: Spot, Stop and Report Them in 2026
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