This is true even if you do not know about the bills. A thief can get your personal information in person or online. A thief might:. Do you think someone stole your identity? If you do, learn more about recovering from identity theft.

All the information in the credit report should be about you. Get a copy of your credit report. Make sure you recognize the information in it. If you do not, you need to try to fix it.

Learn more about your credit history, including how to get your free credit report. Your credit report might show that an identity thief is using your personal information.

You know the information is not true. But no one else looking at the report knows, unless you tell them. Businesses look at your credit report.

A business uses your credit report to decide whether it wants to deal with you. Identity theft can make it hard for you to get credit, a job, a place to live, or utilities. But you can reduce your risk of being hurt by identity theft. Protect your personal information.

That helps you protect your identity. Here are some things you can do:. Look at medical statements. You might see charges you do not recognize. That might mean someone stole your identity.

Get your credit report. You get one free credit report every year from each credit reporting company. Read your credit report carefully. Look for mistakes or accounts you do not recognize. This could mean someone stole your identity.

Avoiding Identity Theft. What It Is What To Know What To Do What It Is. What is identity theft? They could use your: name and address credit card or bank account numbers Social Security number medical insurance account numbers Why should I care if someone steals my identity?

How can that happen? A thief might get a credit card using your name. He changes the address. The bills go to him, but he never pays them. That means the credit card company thinks you are not paying the bills. That will hurt your credit. This is the kind of trouble identity theft can cause for you.

For Example. Audio file. What To Know. How can a thief steal my identity? Identity fraud can have a serious impact on personal finances and may make it difficult to apply for loans, mortgages, or credit cards. Whilst there is no concrete way to prevent identity theft, there are a few practices that can help reduce the chances of becoming a victim of such theft and fraud.

Criminals can find personal information in a number of ways, such as going through your rubbish for documents or contacting you under the guise of a legitimate organisation. To prevent such occurrences, you may want to consider the following practices:. If you have any reason to suspect that your identity has been stolen, acting quickly could save you from serious damage.

If the problem is left unresolved it could spiral out of control, and while you may have not purchased anything or opened any accounts yourself, the record will still be under your name.

Be alert to phishing and spoofing Use strong passwords and add an authentication step Use alerts

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Identity theft prevention - Safeguard your Social Security number Be alert to phishing and spoofing Use strong passwords and add an authentication step Use alerts

You can use it to shop online or at a compatible checkout terminal. Transactions are tokenized and encrypted, which makes them safer. In addition, contactless transactions have fewer health risks. Use passwords on your electronic devices.

Use a banking app rather than a mobile browser for banking. The three major credit reporting bureaus give consumers access to free credit reports weekly, accessible by using AnnualCreditReport.

Check to be sure that accounts are being reported properly and watch for signs of fraud, like accounts you don't recognize. You can also sign up for a free credit report and score from NerdWallet to receive alerts when there are changes. Read financial statements. Make sure you recognize every transaction.

Know due dates and call to investigate if you do not receive an expected bill. Here are some of the ways your personal information can be compromised:. When your wallet is lost or stolen, someone else may gain access to all the information in it.

Make photocopies of your credit cards, front and back, and keep them in a secure location so that you can easily call the issuer if a card or your wallet is lost. Someone simply takes your mail or forwards your mail to a different address, so that you suddenly stop getting most mail.

Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery. Choose a secure mailbox and retrieve mail promptly. Hackers may be able to see what you are doing when you use free public Wi-Fi.

If you choose to use public Wi-Fi, use a virtual private network service to create a secure connection. Hackers invade databases holding sensitive information. Almost everyone has been affected by a data breach. Assume that your data is already out there and take precautions accordingly.

Check your credit scores often — unexpected changes can be a clue — and read financial and insurance statements carefully. Monitor your credit reports, especially for new accounts or inquiries resulting from credit applications. This is when someone takes over your phone number.

You may stop getting calls and texts, or you may get a notice that your phone has been activated. Set up a PIN or password on your cellular account. Consider using an authentication app for accounts with sensitive financial information. Some fraudsters try to get you to disclose personal data, such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and banking information, by sending an official-looking email.

Spoofing involves doing much the same thing with caller ID, so that the number appears to be that of a trusted company or government agency. Do not give out personal data in response to an email or call.

Find contact information from a trusted source, such as your bank website, and use it to verify whether the call or email is legitimate. Skimming is getting credit card information, often from a small device, when a credit card is used at a brick-and-mortar location such as a gas pump or ATM. Use cards with chips, which have added protections.

Pay inside at the gas station if you can, because skimming devices are more likely to be placed at unmonitored payment sites. Detect fraudulent activity early by setting email or text alerts that let you know when your credit cards are used.

If a card is used without your authorization, call the issuer immediately. You may be told you have won something or even that you are in danger of being arrested.

The caller claims to need personal, banking or credit information to verify your identity or to know where to send you money. Be aware of common phone scams.

The IRS, for example, does not initiate contact with taxpayers by phone or email or social media to request personal or financial information, nor does it call with threats of arrest or lawsuits. Fraudsters can learn a password just by watching your fingers as you key it in. The information on your credit card can be photographed with a smartphone while you shop online in a public place.

A business might leave sensitive information where people can see it. Cover your hand when you key in passwords or codes. Opening an email attachment or visiting an infected website can install malicious software on your computer, such as a keylogger. That does what it sounds like — logs every keystroke, giving criminals access to passwords, account numbers and more.

Be cautious about clicking on attachments or links in emails and about the websites you visit. Use a password manager, which lets you avoid keying in login credentials. The FTC's IdentityTheft. gov is a one-stop shop for information and reporting identity theft.

Start with that site and follow its recommended steps to make a recovery plan. You may also need to contact your police department, the Postal Service and the credit bureaus.

Do they have a strong rating with the Better Business Bureau? Do they use a secure, encrypted connection for personal and financial information? Hypertext transfer protocol Secure https , as its name suggests, is a more secure variant of the older Hypertext transfer protocol http.

Missing bills or other mail. A missing bill may indicate that an ID thief has hijacked your account and changed your billing address to help hide the crime. Having a credit approval denied or being subjected to high-interest rates for no apparent reason. Be wary of public WiFi and think twice before joining an unsecured network.

Virtual private networks, or VPNs , are tools that can help you shield yourself from prying eyes on public WiFi networks.

Consistently applying these eight steps to both defend and monitor your credit score will reduce the risks of having your identity stolen, and alert you instantly if such a problem arises.

Internet security solutions with identity theft protection can guard against specialized malware designed to steal personal information by logging your keystrokes or snooping on your browsing sessions.

Protect usernames, account numbers, and other personal information against spyware and other online threats targeting valuable personal data. How Can I Protect Myself from Identity Theft Online? What is identity theft? Evaluating cybersecurity for your home or business? How are identities stolen? How can I protect my identity online?

Below are a few key steps you can take to prevent identity theft online: Protect your computer and smartphone with strong, up-to-date security software. com so you can quest all three reports at once in one of the following ways: Go to the Web site.

Stay alert. Find the right cybersecurity solution for you. Welcome back! September 20, 8 min read. Millions of people are affected each year by identity theft, whether by stolen credit card numbers or fraudulent accounts.

And identity theft is partially fueled by some of the thousands of data breaches that occur each year. Join the millions using CreditWise from Capital One. Victims of identity theft may find that their information is used to:. The Federal Trade Commission reported it received fraud complaints from more than 2.

The total cost to those consumers? Identity theft prevention can start by taking these simple steps to stay safe. You can enhance the security of your accounts with multifactor authentication MFA. MFA means adding secondary ways of verifying your identity in addition to your password. This may come in the form of a text to your phone, a fingerprint or face scan, or a prompt in an authentication app.

If an email sounds overly urgent, asking you to respond right away, that should be a red flag. Confirm the request first by calling a legitimate phone number or logging on to the legitimate site. Review your accounts online frequently and make sure you recognize all charges, checks and withdrawals.

Are you a Capital One customer? Keep track of spending in real time with instant purchase notifications through the Capital One Mobile app. Your paper records, if not properly protected, can be another way for identity thieves to steal your personal information.

You can help keep your physical records safe by:. You can help protect yourself by knowing about:. You can visit AnnualCreditReport.

com to learn how to get free copies of your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. A credit monitoring tool like CreditWise might also help. And if you think you might be the victim of fraudulent activity , there are ways to report it.

If you find suspicious activity on your credit report, you can freeze your credit for free at any time.