Do you wonder about giving all your personal information for freebies? Well, read on to find out how to protect yourself.
Almost everyday we are jumping at the chance for a free sample of shampoo, a magazine or a great coupon for a free product. How do we protect our personal information and still take advantage of these great offers?
Here are a few tips to keep your personal information secure:
- Privacy Policies: Companies and websites will post their privacy policies so you can check to see what their intentions are with your information before you fill out any forms.
- Junk Email Account: Open up a “junk” email account just for requesting freebies. These are so easy to open up and are free. This way if there does wind up to be spam mail from signing up for something, you don’t have to see it everyday. However, a lot of email providers such as Gmail, have a great spam fighting system built in.
- Your Name: Don’t use your full first name. Instead, use only your first initial.
- Phone Number: Don’t give your real phone number if you are unsure.
- Social Security Number: Never, ever give your social security number. There is no reason, ever, that a company would need that for a freebie or coupon. No, no, no!!
And lastly, use your best judgment. I try my best to weed through the junky, spammy sites and only post those that will not run rampant with your information but in the end the decision is yours. If you’re not sure, then don’t do it.