Can You Prove You are You? 3 Ways to Protect Your Identity if Disaster Strikes

Imagine a fire, a flood, a tornado taking everything – your home and all of its contents. Imagine your laptop, smart phone, files and wallet - gone, too. Could you recreate your identity? Could you prove you are who you say you are?

Could you prove you are YOU?

Victims of Hurricane Katrina faced this complicated form of “identify theft” when flood waters washed away everything they ever owned, as described in this story.

·         Passports and birth certificates: gone

·         Keys to bank deposit boxes: gone

·         Driver’s licenses, utility bills, credit cards: gone

                             

      

September was National Preparedness Month and we heard an awful lot about emergency kits and safety plans. Indeed, I wrote about three different kinds of kits here. But perhaps the most important kit of all is the Identity Kit – a collection of all the data needed to rebuild one’s life – should disaster strike.

The Identity Kit

Like any emergency kit, it’s better to have some kind of Identify Kit versus no kind of Identity Kit. Here are three options for safeguarding your important information (a list of vital documents follows):

Old School: take TWO front and back copies of all important cards and documents. Keep one set in a safe location in your home. Make sure you remember where it is and that it’s accessible in an emergency. Secure the other set with a trusted person in another state or city.

Tech All the Way: use spreadsheets, inventory software, or password managers to track account numbers, usernames, and other important data. Upload pictures and photocopies, too. Store everything in the cloud for easy access anywhere.

Diversify: if Old School seems too limited, and Tech All the Way too risky, a combination of paper copies, electronic docs and cloud storage will cover all bases.

THE IDENTITY KIT
IDENTITY DOCUMENTS	Birth Certificates Marriage Certificate/Divorce Certificate Passports Social Security Cards Driver’s Licenses/State Issued ID Cards
FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS	Bank Accounts Credit Card Accounts Investment Accounts Securities & Trusts Last Tax Return Loan Documents Outstanding Debts Safe Deposit Box Key
PROPERTY	Mortgage Papers/Deed Other Properties (rentals, vacation homes) Car Title(s) Other Titles (boat, motorcycle, RV) Inventory of Home Contents
INSURANCE DOCUMENTS	Home Insurance Policy Car Insurance Policy Life Insurance Policy
MEDICAL DOCUMENTS	Health Insurance Cards Medical Records List of RX Medications
LEGAL DOCUMENTS	Wills Medical Directives Powers of Attorney Business Documents
DON’T FORGET	Phone Numbers (lots of people don’t know these anymore) Cash (small denominations) Complete List of Passwords & Logins

Richard Kline said:

Confidence is Preparation.

Everything else is beyond your control.

Emergency Preparedness brings peace of mind.

Build your Emergency Kits.

Make your Emergency Plans.

Everything else is beyond our control.

The following websites have loads of information about disaster preparedness:

The American Red Cross

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Ready.gov (a part of FEMA)

EmergencyKits.com

Survival Supply