Identity Theft Prevention: A How-To Guide

Once identity thieves get a hold of your personal information, they can withdraw money from your bank account, charge your credit cards, open utility accounts under your name, and use your health insurance to get medical treatment. Worse, they may even give your name to the police when they get arrested. Learn to recognize and prevent identity theft to protect yourself.

Prevent identity theft by recognizing the signs

The most common warning signs of identity theft are charges or invoices for purchases you did not make, missing mail or an unexplained billing address change, a rejected tax return, and an unexpectedly denied loan application. Micro-charges under a few dollars often indicate a thief testing whether a stolen card is still active.

Oftentimes, people don’t realize they’ve fallen victim to identity theft until it’s too late. Learning to spot the red flags helps you address the problem before it gets worse.

• You get invoices for items you never bought. One key sign your identity has been compromised is when you receive invoices for purchases you didn’t make. You may also receive bills for credit accounts you don't own. Be mindful of small purchases you don't recognize. Identity thieves sometimes make purchases of under $5.00 to check if a credit card is still active.
• Billing address is changed or missing. Another thing to watch out for is missing mail. This could be a telltale sign someone has changed your billing address. You should also sound the alarm if you receive a rejection notice after filing your tax returns. This could mean someone has filed a fraudulent return using your identity.
• Your loan application is unexpectedly rejected. You should also look into this issue if your loan application is rejected. Unexpectedly bad credit history is a glaring red flag you simply can’t ignore.

Find out if you’re an easy target

Identity thieves prioritize targets with clean credit files, large public data footprints, or limited familiarity with online security. Children, adults over 60, high-visibility social media users, and high-income earners are among the most frequently targeted groups in the United States — but weak passwords and exposed Social Security numbers put anyone at risk.

Identity thieves prefer easy and worthwhile targets. Here are some of the most commonly exposed groups:

• Children and seniors. Seeking a clean credit record, identity thieves are known to target children, and seniors too as both these demographics are typically less experienced with technology. A Cornell University study revealed that age-related changes in the brain increase the vulnerability of seniors, with one in 20 adults beyond the age of 60 falling victim to financial exploitation.
• Social media influencers. Cybercriminals also favor mega social media users because of the wealth of personal information they have readily available online.
• High-income individuals. Successful earners are vulnerable because of their rich data footprint. They use their credit cards more often, leaving behind a trail of financial and personal data in multiple locations and platforms.

Even if you don't belong to the groups mentioned above, you can still fall victim to ID theft. Just the wrong choice of password can make you an easy target. Using public Wi-Fi can also expose you. The mere act of leaving your Social Security number (SSN) during a doctor’s visit can cost you your financial well-being.  

Identity theft has become such an industry that SSN are bought and sold online like commodities. Educational and medical institutions have proven to be easy pickings too. As a matter of fact, a massive tax fraud takedown in Florida traced stolen Personally Identifying Information (PII) back to schools and health care providers.

Your details often surface in a breach months before anyone uses them, which is the one window where you can still get ahead of an identity thief. Clario Anti Spy and its Data breach monitor tell you which of your accounts have been exposed and keep watching around the clock.

Here's how to check your accounts for breaches with Clario Anti Spy:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy.
2. Open the app, and, under Data breach monitor, tap Scan.
3. Enter your email address.
4. When the scan is complete, follow the on-screen guidance to review any data breaches.
5. Repeat the process for any other email addresses.

How to protect yourself from identity theft

You can prevent identity theft with 12 core habits split between online and offline behavior: limit social media disclosure, protect your Social Security number, avoid unknown links, freeze your credit at all three bureaus, secure your public Wi-Fi use, monitor your credit reports, use unique passwords, review statements, lock your devices, shred documents, secure your mailbox, and go paperless.

Here are 12 ways you can prevent identity theft from happening:  

What to do if your identity has already been stolen

If your identity is already compromised, the first hours matter. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission's recovery process is the authoritative starting point.

1. Contact the fraud department of any company where the fraud occurred.
2. Place a fraud alert and pull your free credit reports.
3. Report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov to generate an FTC Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan.
4. File a report with your local police department.
5. Request an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS to block fraudulent tax filings.
6. Create your account at ssa.gov before someone else creates one in your name.

Conclusion

Preventing identity theft comes down to shrinking how much of your data is exposed and shortening the time it takes you to notice something is wrong — freeze your credit at all three bureaus, use unique passwords, and know which of your accounts have already leaked. Clario Anti Spy's Data breach monitor scans your email addresses against known breaches and keeps watching 24/7, so you learn which accounts are exposed while you can still change the passwords instead of finding out from a collections letter. 
 

• Read more:
  What to Do if Your Identity Is Stolen
• How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft?
• Types of ID Theft You Should Know About