Identity Theft – what to know?
In short, identity theft occurs when criminals steal your personally identifiable information (PII) and use it to commit fraud, such as making unauthorized transactions or purchases. PII can include your full name, social security number, driver license, credit card or bank account numbers, and other information that, when used alone or with other relevant data, can identify an individual.
How do criminals obtain PII?
There are many ways in which criminals can steal PII:
- Successfully phish someone into clicking a malicious link or attachment through an email or text message.
- Monitor activity on public or unsecured WiFi.
- Dig through dumpsters at homes and businesses for financial and personal information.
- Buy stolen information from underground marketplaces ‘dark web”).
- Exploit a security flaw in a network or application and steal records with PII.
Act quickly if you suspect or received notification that your PII has been compromised.
Quick action may help to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. The actions you take will depend on the type of information that has been breached.
- Cancel or close compromised cards or accounts and request new ones.
- Social Security numbers pose the greatest risk because they cannot be changed. Monitor your identity closely; consider using an identity theft protection company.
- Request an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) from the IRS to prevent tax fraud.
Not sure what information was compromised?
There are still step you should take:
- Change passwords to your online accounts. Create a strong and unique password for each account. Use multifactor authentication when available.
- Set up fraud alerts.
- Considering placing a security freeze on your credit file through each of the three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
There's no way to inoculate yourself against identity theft completely. But if you're diligent in learning how your information can be at risk and what fraudsters can do with it, you'll be better equipped to protect your data and act quickly if someone does manage to steal it.
- Follow our IT Security Checklist to learn about protecting your digital PII.
To Learn more:
- USA.gov Identity Theft Information: Identity Theft
- Federal Trade Commission IdentityTheft.gov: When Information is Lost or Exposed
- Internal Revenue Services: Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)