Protect Your Identity
It is common knowledge that identity theft has the potential to wreak havoc in our lives. Today, we will discuss what happens when someone attempts to steal your identity, what you can do to prevent it from happening, and what steps to take if it does happen to you.
Identity theft occurs when someone gains access to your personal information without your permission. With your information, an individual can open a credit card, rent property, or get a loan in your name. The extent of their actions all depends on how much personal information the thief has acquired about you.
Identity theft can come about in many ways, especially now with all the technological avenues available to thieves. Digging through someone else’s trash cans where important documents have been thrown away, stealing information from computers or cell phones using malware or spyware, hacking into large databases, or acting as a trusted organization to retrieve information are all ways your information could be stolen.
Although not all identity theft is totally avoidable, there are some tips that you can follow to help protect yourself:
First, any document that has personal information on it should be finely shredded or destroyed before throwing it away. Make sure to password protect all your devices and accounts with difficult passwords that cannot be easily guessed. It may seem like a burden now, but using a different password for every site you access or account you have online will be worth it in the long run, if it means keeping thieves guessing.
Always be cautious when entering your information online. Make sure it is a trusted website, organization, or link. Be wary of suspicious phone calls and emails, especially if they ask you to provide your information without much reason.
Always monitor your credit card accounts and bank statements to check for unusual activity. You should also obtain your free annual credit report to check for any credit pulls that you did not commit.
Here at Coloramo, we do our very best to monitor fraudulent behavior and notify you, so we can prevent your information from being compromised. We will always do our best to help you with reporting the fraudulent activity if we don’t catch it in time. We recommend that you start by placing an initial fraud alert on your file as soon as possible. You can do this by going to the three credit report companies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and reporting that you have been a victim of identity theft. You can do this online or send them a physical letter.
The next step would be to contact the security or fraud departments of each of the businesses where an account was opened or where the fraudulent activity occurred. When doing this, be sure that you are documenting everything. This will make it easier for you to prove that it was fraudulent behavior.
Lastly, visit the Federal Trade Commission website to get a free personal recovery plan that walks you through each recovery step, pre-fills letters and forms for you to send to businesses, debt collectors, etc., and tracks your progress on gaining control of the situation.
Identity theft is a scary thing, but we are here to help in any way that we can if your information has been compromised. If that is you, please give us a call so we can discuss the next steps to get your finances, and peace of mind, back on track.