Valuables and Your Identity

There are many things that you can do to protect your valuables to make them harder for someone to sell and easier for you to get back if they end up with your stuff.

* Having photos, videos and serial numbers of your valuables can be extremely helpful in identifying your stolen goods.
* Contact the manufacturers of some of your valuables, as they may have advice or additional products on how to better secure and protect them from thieves.
* Get your driver's license number (NOT your Social Security number) engraved on any expensive electronic equipment. Doing so can not only assist in their return, but can actually dissuade theft: Marked property is difficult to sell or pawn.
* Invisible-ink pens can be used to identify your property. Again, using your driver's license number as an I.D., a simple ultraviolet light on stolen property will show the police who the real owner is.
* Photocopy receipts of expensive items and store them in a safe place so you have proof of purchase for insurance reasons.
* Use a bolted-down safe or a heavy-duty filing cabinet with a lock that cannot be carried out of the house to store important documents, information and valuables. It's a simple investment that will protect vital possessions.
* Shredding documents with personal information (such as bank and credit-card statements or anything with a Social Security number on it) will keep a burglar or someone looking through your trash from finding your information and assuming your identity.
* Credit cards are immediate cash — keep records of what cards you have, always keep them signed on the back and any surplus cards should be kept in a safe.
* Keep equipment for expensive hobbies (boats, Jet Skis, golf clubs, etc.) covered up — even better, keep them locked up out of sight.
* What you think is well hidden is nearly always easy pickings for burglars, so lock things up instead of keeping them in "clever" hiding places like the freezer, the bag of sugar or the cookie jar.
* Leaving empty boxes from your new computer, DVD player or TV on the curb for trash pickup advertises that you have things worth stealing in your home. Break boxes down or cut them up to conceal what they contained.
* A computer lock is an easy and inexpensive way to protect valuable personal or customer information. Computers are expensive items to replace.
*If you have an alarm always make sure it is being used regularly.
* Blank CDs are a cheap and easy way to back up information on your computer in case it's stolen.
* Instead of keeping jewels hidden in your home, a safe-deposit box is a smart place to keep valuables secure from theft. If you insist on keeping them in the house, lock your jewelry and other valuables in a bolted-down floor safe.
* Keep information about your safe-deposit box separate from any personal identification documents such as passports or Social Security cards. If these documents are stolen, you could suffer further losses if someone is able to use them to gain access to your safe-deposit box.
* Secure furs like you would any other valuable: Keep them in a closet with a dead bolt, and be sure to monogram or write your name on the skin of your fur to aid identification and recovery in case it is stolen.
* Be sure to lock your bikes and four-wheelers to a bolted-down surface.
* For pricey heirlooms, get serious about securing them. First, invest in an appraiser to have a firm dollar figure on your valuables. Then photograph, catalogue and put them on your homeowner's policy. So if a heist ever goes down, you're covered.

This tip from http://dsc.discovery.com