It makes sense to assume your identity has — or will be — stolen! Ever since the Equifax breach two years ago, the “dark web” has the names, birth dates, addresses, and Social Security numbers of millions of Americans!
That has created an opportunity for companies to offer services around “protecting” your credit, or helping you “restore” credit if yours is stolen. But before you pay for this kind of “help”, you should do everything possible to protect your credit in the first place!

That means checking your credit report at least annually, freezing your credit immediately, monitoring your credit score, and checking your online bank account at least weekly — all to make sure there is no unauthorized usage and to catch things quickly.

AND, it means DO NOT CLICK ON LINKS from emails trying to scare you into logging in to your accounts. ALWAYS open a new browser and go directly to your account. Similarly, do not respond to calls or texts purporting to be from financial institutions. If you need to reach out to your bank or card issuer, use the phone number on their website or on the back of your credit card — and place the call directly to the financial institution.

Common sense will do more to protect your identity than paying a service to “repair” your credit after a breach. Here’s some helpful information:

Get Your Credit Report

Below are links to contact each of the three credit bureaus. The first step is to FREEZE YOUR CREDIT. There should be NO COST to freeze your account and to get your credit report online, immediately. Keep your secure PIN so that you can easily lift the freeze if you want to allow a company to check your credit, perhaps in a job search, insurance purchase, or mortgage refinancing.

Here are the direct links to the CREDIT FREEZE pages at each of the three bureaus:

Here is the link to the freeze Page on Transunion’s site: https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

Here’s the link at Experian: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

And here’s the link at Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/

You can get a free copy of your report from each of the three bureaus by going to AnnualCreditReport.com. Or call the numbers below:

TransUnion 1-800-916-8800 www.Transunion.com
Equifax 1-800-685-1111 www.Equifax.com
Experian 1-888-397-3742 www.Experian.com

The whole idea of freezing your credit report is so that no one can use your identity to open NEW ACCOUNTS in your name. But you still must be vigilant about your existing bank and card accounts to make sure no one is using them for fraudulent purposes.

READ Your Credit Report!

You are looking for “inquiries” into your credit. Many people have reported a “soft inquiry” from a state unemployment bureau. Typically they then receive one of those fraudulent debit cards. Make sure you do NOT ACTIVATE any debit card.

BUT, you may also see an inquiry from a bank or credit card company that you do not recognize. If you see a bank inquiry, contact that bank to make sure someone did not open an account in your name.

Bank accounts do NOT appear on your credit report, but an inquiry will be a tip-off that you are a victim of identity theft.

AND, if you see an inquiry from the SBA (Small Business Administration) contact them immediately. I have heard from several people that small business loans were taken out in their name — and they had no idea! Contact the SBA inspector’s office at (800) 767-0385.

Contact the FBI

The FBI has a dividsion that directly responds to Identity Theft.
They promise that your tip, whether by phone or online — will be read by TWO agents.
1-800-CALL FBI
Tips.FBI.gov

Report Suspected Identity theft to Social Security and the Federal Trade Commission

You can contact the Social Security Office of the Inspector General’s fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or submit a report online at https://oig.ssa.gov/. Since the IRS checks with Social Security regarding income attributed to your number, you want them to know your identity might have been stolen. That way, if you get a 1099 for income from unemployment, you will have one more level of proof that it wasn’t yours!

(By the way, at www.Socialsecurity.gov, you can check your own personal account safely and securely online, using the “My Social Security” tool. Here is a link to that page. Checking your own benefits history does more than let you know what your monthly check is likely to be at retirement. It allows you to make sure your employer is contributing appropriately AND make sure that no one else is using your SS number in a fraudulent way.)

Surprisingly, the Federal Trade Commission is the nation’s consumer protection agency. You can call them at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338); (TTY 1-866-653-4261); or call 1-800-908-4490. Also, you should file an online complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

Keep Track of Your Attempts to Report Fraud

You might need to prove you tried to report any attempts at fraud. Here’s how to do that:

Every time you file an online fraud complaint, take a screen shot of the filing page. (You can do that by pushing the button at the top of your keyboard marked “Prt Scr”. ) Then send yourself an email and “paste” the “screen shot” in the body of the email. You do that by clicking in the body of the email and if you don’t see the word “paste” come up, just press CONTROL +V at the same time, and the picture of the screen shot will appear in the body of the email!

Save those emails that you send to yourself in a special folder. That will let the IRS know you tried to report fraud when it happened. And that will be useful if you receive a 1099 form next January asking you to pay taxes on the “unemployment benefits” your allegedly received – but, of course, didn’t!

Keep a Close watch on your Credit and Bank Accounts

Freezing your credit denies fraudsters the opportunity to open NEW credit in your name. But you must still check your accounts — bank and credit — on a regular basis online for unauthorized activities. Do this at least once a week.

Change your password if you suspect identity theft might have occurred. Make sure you do your online checking from a SECURE WI-FI connection — not at a library or restaurant!

Report any unexpected bank deposits, as they may be a prelude money being wired OUT of your account. And if you are offered “two-factor” identification (requiring confirmation by text or email of significant transactions) take a moment to set that up.

Protect Your Telephone “Sim Card”
Thieves can “steal” your telephone without laying a hand on it. They can steal the inner workings, the “sim card” and port your phone number to their phone. Then when you get a call or text from your bank with an authorization code, they can grab it — and your money.

This is complicated — and you must contact your carrier to “lock” your SIM. Please read this column that explains: https://www.terrysavage.com/stealing-your-secrets/

Your goal is to BE AWARE, BE CURRENT, BUILD A FORTRESS AROUND YOUR CREDIT — and take action immediately if you think something is wrong. Better safe than Sorry. That’s a Savage Truth!