Question

There have been some major data breaches in recent years - including Equifax, Capital One, Target, Home Depot, Facebook etc [You can find a complete list here: All of these breaches increase the likelihood of you or your friends becoming a victim of identity theft. Detail what actions you have taken or will take to protect yourself from this risk. Further, describe what you would advise a friend or client to do if their identity has been stolen.

Answer 1

Key steps to prevent identity theft online:

1. Protect your computer and smartphone with strong, upto date security software.
2. Use strong password : Weak password is easy to identify by thief-especially if you use the same password everywhere.
3. Only use reputable websites when making purchases:  If you don’t know the reputation of a company that you want to purchase from, do your homework. Always check how the other user, reviewed it.
4. Stay alert: (a) False information on your credit reports.

(b) Getting new credit cards sent to you that you didn’t apply for.

  (c) Receiving calls or notices about past due bills for products or services you didn’t buy.

(d) Be wary of public WiFi and think twice before joining an unsecured network.

Steps to take when the identity has been stolen:

1. Contact local police department: First of all victim should do a police complaint.
2. Freeze the credits:This means the credit bureaus won't share your report with anyone who requests it. You'll need to contact each bureau individually to request they freeze your credit.
3. Tighten security on accounts: Change all passwords on all accounts and set the strong passwords.
4. Check credit card and bank statements for unauthorized charges : Because Identity thiefs may start with small amount to test.
5. open new credit card and financial accounts : if possible thern close the currenty accounts and reopen the new to protect the further loss.