Keep the wrong mitts off your ID

Be stingy with your Social Security number if you want to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, warns FINRA, the largest private regulator of the securities industry.

Generally, you do need to disclose the number to your employers, for wage and tax reporting; to banks, brokerages and other financial institutions, for tax reporting and credit checks; to your landlord and utility companies, for credit checks; to government agencies, for providing services or accepting tax payments; and to credit reporting agencies, including when you request a free copy of your credit report.

If an individual, business, or agency requests your number, FINRA recommends that you ask why it’s needed, how it will be used, how the number will be protected, and what would happen if you don’t provide it.—Anthony Giorgianni