How To Protect My Identity From Being Stolen

How To Protect My Identity From Being Stolen – Knowing how to prevent identity theft is everything in today’s digital age. Why? Because no one wants to wake up to calls about unauthorized credit card charges or Instagram alerts about fake accounts created in your name. To help you find ways to avoid identity theft, we’ll cover the different types, how scammers get your information, and how you can take steps to protect yourself by using identity theft protection services like , which scan for potential data. leaks, monitors your credit and can help you restore your identity.

Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information and impersonates you in an attempt to gain access to your sensitive data, money and other personal assets.

How To Protect My Identity From Being Stolen

What the identity thief is looking for will determine what kind of theft you will have to deal with. Understanding the different types of identity theft tactics can help you learn what identity theft warning signs you should be on the lookout for and who is most vulnerable.

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Get ahead of today’s identity thieves by learning about six of the most common types of identity theft used to compromise your sensitive data and replicate your identity.

How it happens: An identity thief obtains your personal information and uses it to make purchases, open accounts and steal your money.

Many know that financial identity theft is the most common type of identity theft – 47% of Americans surveyed say they were targeted in 2020. This happens when an identity thief tries to steal passwords, phone numbers, e -emails, addresses, social security numbers and other types of personal data to use for their own financial gain.

Labeled as the fastest growing type of identity fraud, synthetic identity theft involves creating fake identities with information about real people. Identity thieves can mix and match stolen addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers to create fake personas. They can then use those identities to commit common identity fraud crimes, such as credit card and insurance fraud.

How To Prevent Identity Theft Online And In Real Life

How it happens: An identity thief uses another person’s health insurance to obtain prescriptions, access healthcare services and obtain medical supplies.

As surprising as it may seem, healthcare identity theft is a very current threat – in 2022, there were an average of 1.94 healthcare data breaches per day affecting over 500 records. You’ll see this when someone tries to use someone else’s exposed health insurance information to get care they may not be able to afford themselves.

How it happens: An identity thief uses your personal information or fake information to file and collect a tax return on your behalf.

Tax identity theft occurs when someone files and collects a tax return on your behalf. There were more than 78,000 reports of tax identity theft in 2022, making it the fourth most common form of identity theft. If this happens to you, immediately respond to any IRS notices and fill out an identity theft return with the IRS if someone has filed on your behalf.

Defend Against Identity Theft

How it happens: A criminal uses a child’s personal information to open new accounts/lines of credit, create fake IDs, and/or make large purchases.

It’s hard to believe that someone would target a child to pursue their own nefarious endeavours. However, child identity theft has become a real problem, reaching more than 1.2 million victims in 2021. Criminals may try to use a minor’s name, address, and/or social security number to open a new line of credit, create a fake driver’s license. , or even buy a house. Victims often only become aware once they try to apply for a student loan or open their first credit card.

How it happens: A criminal provides your personal information at the time of arrest instead of their own information.

Criminal identity theft occurs when someone arrested by law enforcement provides your name and other identifying information instead of theirs. They could do this by getting hold of a stolen driver’s license or creating a fake ID.

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Use these identity theft protection tips to send a message to cybercriminals in general that they might want to find another line of work.

Always protect your Social Security number – for identity thieves, it’s like finding a pot of gold. If someone asks you to provide your SSN, always ask why, and never hand it over if you can’t guarantee its protection. Other best practices include storing in a safe place and destroying all documents containing the number before throwing them away.

Monitoring your credit score and reviewing your reports regularly can help you spot suspicious activity early. In addition, some institutions offer free weekly credit reports, all in an effort to help you stay vigilant and try to allay fears of identity theft.

You can implement a credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus. This prevents anyone from opening new lines of credit or taking out a loan in your name. You can freeze and unfreeze your credit at any time, so consider keeping a freeze until you’re ready to open a new account or apply for a loan if you want to help prevent identity theft.

Consumer Identity Theft And Privacy Protection For Data Breach…

Firewalls are software or hardware that help block unwanted traffic between your devices and the Internet. Some computers will have a built-in firewall, but you can also purchase one for additional protection.

If your financial documents are easy to access – online or physical copies – then would-be thieves can use them to impersonate you and gain access to your accounts. Regularly delete unnecessary financial documents from your computer and make sure they are completely deleted.

Whenever you receive e-mail with your personal information or delete any physical paper with identifying information, use a shredder to protect yourself from people who may pry through your trash can.

Most banks or other financial institutions will send you automatic alerts – you just need to set them up. Check your banking app or go to the bank in person if you’re having trouble. These alerts can let you know when money is coming in or out of your account, so you know about any fraudulent transactions right away.

Protect Yourself Against New Id Theft Schemes

It’s important to know how common scams work so you can be aware of your risk as you go about your day. Whether it’s taking a minute to research what card skimmers look like so you can avoid sketchy ATMs or how to spot phishing emails, knowing common scams can help you avoid them.

Mail theft affected nearly 1,100 U.S. homes. from March 2020 to February 2021. Fortunately, checking your mailbox daily is effective in avoiding potential mail fraud. You can also get a locked mailbox approved by the US Postal Service, ask trusted neighbors to collect your mail while you’re gone, or use a vacation hold as needed to keep your personal information safe.

Whether you use the digital wallet included on your smartphone or download a trusted app, digital wallets can be more secure than carrying your physical wallet and cards. This is because digital wallets encrypt your information, effectively hiding it from skimmers or hackers.

It is important to secure your mobile devices to protect against identity theft, as spyware is among the top threats to your mobile security. Remember to always lock your phone and only download trusted apps.

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When you purchase a new phone, laptop or other electronic devices, it is important to properly dispose of the old device. Whether you’re selling, donating, recycling or trashing, do a full system wipe to reduce your risk if it ends up in the wrong hands.

Identity thieves often monitor public Wi-Fi networks to try to steal unprotected information from vulnerable users. If you’re on public Wi-Fi, use a VPN to encrypt your data and activity so cybercriminals can’t track your fingerprint.

Norton Secure VPN helps you use public Wi-Fi safely so you can use your devices freely without wondering if hackers are monitoring your activity.

Creating strong, unique passwords for all of your online profiles can make it harder for identity thieves to use hacking methods like credential stuffing and password spraying to break into your accounts. Password managers are great for helping you create and organize hack-resistant passwords.

Identity Theft Protection & Online Privacy For Your Digital Life

Enabling two-factor authentication on your accounts can help prevent identity thieves from breaking into the accounts and databases that hold your most important information. With biometric protection against fingerprint scanning and facial recognition, replicating your identity becomes almost impossible.

Using antivirus software like Norton 360 Deluxe can help add an extra layer of protection against common identity thieves. This can make access to your private information much more difficult and allows you to use your devices with a sense of trust.

We share a lot of seemingly harmless information on social media that can be used by scammers. Before you post or share anything, consider whether or not the information could be used against you. For example, a post showing the first car looks innocent, but may reveal the answer to a common password recovery question.

There are many identity theft protection tools available that can take some of the guesswork out of protecting you and your family from identity theft. Although there is no guarantee

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