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Identity Theft Guide
Protect yourself from the rising threat of identity theft with our comprehensive guide.
What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft occurs when a fraudster acquires your personal information and uses it to steal funds or otherwise commit fraud.
With your information, they might:
- Commit other identity-related crimes
- Apply for credit cards and loans in your name
- Steal money from your accounts
- Use your accounts to funnel other stolen funds
How it Happens
Phishing
Fraudsters send you legitimate-looking emails and/or text messages to get you to provide personal and account information.
Spyware
When a fraudster gains access to your device and spies on your activities. This can be used to learn your usernames and passwords as well as see account, private, and personal information.
Hacking
When a fraudster gains access to your device by using technology or hacking into networks like public Wi-Fi.
Pretexting
Fraudsters will pose as a financial institution, government agency, or technology company (like Microsoft or Apple) to obtain information from you.
Stealing
A criminal steals your mail, account statements, wallet, or cell phone. They also may steal payments that you have sent in the mail.
What to Remember
- Financial institutions will never contact you and request your full social security number, passwords, or PIN numbers.
- Government agencies like the FBI or IRS will not send texts, calls, or emails requesting your personal information.
- Be mindful of any urgent warnings or requests that want you to act immediately.
How to Prevent ID Theft
Never provide personal or financial account information to someone who texts, emails, or calls you, even if the number appears to be from your financial institution.
Review your account statements regularly for unauthorized or suspicious transactions. If you have questions, contact your bank for more information on the transaction.
Never click on links/attachments from emails or text messages that you are suspicious of. If you think an email/text isn’t legitimate, contact that business/bank/organization directly with information publicly available, not the email or phone number linked to the message.
Use different passwords for your financial accounts and other websites for which you have login information. For additional security, use a passphrase, as these are harder to crack. Passphrases could be something like, “Dancing!nther@in789”
Check your credit reports to monitor for unexpected activity. Consider using a credit monitoring service to alert you when changes are detected on your credit file.
Limit your use of checks. All your account information is present on a check, enabling a criminal to replicate checks or conduct other fraudulent activities with that information.
Find out more about identity theft and tips to protect yourself at:
- www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
- https://www.comparitech.com/identity-theft-protection/
- www.stopfraud.gov
What If You Believe Your ID Has Been Compromised?
Contact Your Financial Institution
Contact financial institutions and companies where you have accounts and alert them that you believe your identity has been stolen. If you haven’t yet, review your account history for any potential unauthorized transactions. They will assist you in disputing those transactions if you find unauthorized activity.
Review Your Credit Report
Contact all three bureaus to review your credit report activity. Consider placing a ‘free credit freeze,’ which makes it harder for a new account to be opened in your name.
- Experian: Experian.com or 888.397.3742
- TransUnion: Transunion.com or 888.909.8872
- Equifax: Equifax.com or 800.525.6285
Contact Law Enforcement
Provide all information related to the ID theft. Record the police report number and request a copy. This may assist you in disputing charges with certain companies.
If you believe the ID theft occurred because of cybercrime, file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov
Report Identity Theft to the Federal Trade Commission
The FTC has a website that directly deals with ID theft for consumers. Use identitytheft.gov to file a Fraud Report and get a customized recovery plan with action steps based on your situation.
Take Additional Preventive Measures
Even if only one account was compromised, update usernames and passwords for all active accounts. Use different passwords for financial account websites than for other accounts, such as rewards programs.
Keep phones, computers, and web browsers updated with the latest versions. This will ensure that they have the most current security updates.
Utilize multi-factor authentication if it’s available, just like on NBC’s online banking and mobile app. This helps add an extra layer of protection to your online accounts.
NBC is here to help you with identity theft concerns
