How to Protect Your Personal Information During a Divorce

While your soon-to-be ex may not be a computer hacker, there are still reasons to protect your personal information during your divorce.

Protecting our identity and personal information is more critical than ever in today’s digital age. With the advancements in technology, hacking is becoming more and more prevalent. Individuals with malicious intent look for ways to take advantage of a person’s vulnerability and use it against them.

While your soon-to-be ex may not be a hacker, there are still reasons to protect your personal information during your divorce. You do not want your ex to use anything against you during your divorce proceedings. To protect yourself and your case, here are a few steps to protect your privacy.

Ways to Protect Your Personal Information

Going through a divorce is rarely an easy process. Figuring out how to protect your information simultaneously may feel overwhelming to do on your own. It would help if you had an attorney to help guide you through the process while fighting for what is yours. At The Betz Law Firm, we aim to help you find the answers to your questions and begin the next phase of your life with as much ease as possible.

Here are a few steps to enhance your personal security and protect your privacy:

• Talk about privacy beforehand – If your spouse is agreeable, talk to them before a divorce proceeding or trial hearing about an agreement stating that each of you will respect the other’s private information. This can ensure that both parties have peace of mind regarding their confidential information and will not have to worry about the other person using it for personal benefit.
• Change your passwords – Almost every website and account allows you to change your password. Therefore, change the passwords to your email, social media accounts, bank information, and other personal information. Make sure that you change them to something unique.
• Stay off social media – A mistake people often make is posting about their divorce on their social media accounts. Posting information about your divorce can make you look bad in court and negatively affect your settlement agreement.
• Forward your mail – If you’re still living with your spouse throughout your divorce, have your mail forwarded to another address, such as a trusted friend or relative. This is a good idea if you’re worried about your spouse seeing your credit card statements, bank statements, or any other mail containing sensitive information.
• Lock up your information – If you have personal documents you don’t want your spouse to get a hold of, buy a safe, get a safety deposit box, or give them to a trusted source. This can prevent private or sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands.
• Protect your finances – Financial records often play a significant role in determining child custody and related support payments. While hiding assets will have a detrimental effect on your settlement agreement, you can take steps to protect the money that is rightfully yours. Open a separate bank account to avoid this and transfer any direct deposits into your new account. You may also want to apply for a separate credit card. This protects your finances but also helps you build a credit score on your own.

If you have any questions regarding your divorce, contact The Betz Law Firm. Our St. Louis divorce lawyers are committed to guiding our clients and their families through the divorce process with the least amount of emotional trauma and turmoil possible. This is done while holding the interests and future of the family as a top priority.