Share this post

Identity Theft

by
Matt DeVico
April 30, 2024

table of contents

Identity theft is when someone impersonates you and uses your personal data like your credit cards, name, Social Security number, etc. Bad actors use it to impersonate you. There are many reasons why, but the most common reason is for their own financial gain, at the expense of yours. It could get as bad as your bank account being emptied, but other common occurrences include opening new credit lines in your name, getting a utility service, stealing your tax refund, getting access to medical treatments, or giving police your name and address when they are arrested.

Unfortunately, this happens to a lot of people in the world. Varying studies show as many as 1 in 20 Americans fall victim to some form of identity theft. Bad actors will take advantage however they can. It’s important for you to keep a close eye your digital presence and your digital assets. Constantly monitoring is highly recommended. Take the steps into your own hands and manage risk to best protect yourself and your loved ones.

Your identity may be put at risk unknowingly to you. Organization’s often fall victim to cyber-attacks too and unfortunately many don’t take the appropriate steps to ensure that your data is secure. Don’t worry! There are steps you can take to stay protected.

How To Prevent Identity Theft

Remember, Dteckt can help you manage and monitor your digital risk including Identity Theft protection and more.

1. Subscribe to an Identity Monitoring Service

Identity Monitoring services assist you by tapping into the financial network to look for new lines of credit, new deposit account applications, new deposit account openings, changes made to deposit account holder’s information, dark web monitoring, criminal database monitoring, and more.

2. Freeze your Credit

It’s a good idea to have your credit frozen all of the time and only lift it in the even that a lender needs to see your credit. Freezing your credit with all three major credit bureaus will stop any inquiry to try and pull your credit. This is good, there’s A LOT of sensitive information on your credit report.

3. Your Social Security Number (SSN) is Very Private

Your Social Security number is the master key to your personal data. Think of it as one of the most sensitive pieces of information about you. Don’t give it up easily. When you are asked for your number, ask why it is needed and how it will be protected. Store it in a safe and secure space in your home.

4. Don’t Fall Victim to Phishing

Phishing comes in many forms including through Phone, Email, Text, in Person and more. If it seems Phishy, it more than likely is. Don’t trust random callers. Don’t let people remote into your computer. Initiate a callback or return email … yourself prompted by you. Browse directly to known good websites and not to random links sent to you.

5. Passwords and Account Management

Use a password manager to create and store complex, unique passwords for your accounts. Don’t store passwords in a Word or Excel file. Avoid the reuse of passwords and use 2 Step Authentication on systems that have sensitive information in them. Monitor the companies you use for notifications of data breach. If they have a breach, update your password immediately. Your social presence plays a part too. Everything you post online to the web applications you use, your birthday, your username, etc gives bad actors clues about how to access your accounts.

6. Watch your mailbox

People are still stealing mail and packages. A piece of stolen mail from a health provider, a financial institution, or the government is one of the easiest ways to steal an identity. If you leave town, it’s best practice to freeze your mail. Cameras can help you improve your physical security including the security of the contents in your mailbox.

7. Recycle with Care – Shred

Don’t throw away trash that contains sensitive information. Shred it to the point where it is unreadable. Credit cards, bank statements, health information, etc. can be taken out of your garbage, and yes people dumpster dive!

8. Protect your Mobile Devices

First and foremost, make sure you have a passcode or biometric authentication enabled to log into your computers and mobile devices. Mobile devices store a lot of personal information and if stolen, are keys to your kingdom.

9. Check your Credit Reports

There are many services that provide visibility to your credit reports. If you’re interested in Credit, go that route. If your identity is what matters to you than the right identity monitoring service will take care of credit monitoring for you and alert you of new or suspicious activity.

10. Monitor Financial and Medical Statements

In addition to monitoring your identity, finances and medical statements should be watched as well. A good identity services taps into feeds to monitor these areas too. It’s always recommended to use a centralized money manager for a single view to see all of your account, trends, and spending activity.

How Does Identity Theft Occur?

1. Phishing

Someone calls, texts, or emails you to get you to do something you wouldn’t otherwise do. Don’t get phished! It’s the number one way for someone to steal your data and identity. Phone scams are very common such as the fake IRS calling you to try and get information from you over the phone. We promise, the likelihood of the IRS calling you like that for personal information is extremely low.

2. Lost Wallet

Once lost, everything in there is now the thieves or whomever they decide to sell it too. Use a lost wallet protection service to log all the items in your wallet. Act fast if lost or stolen and report stolen cards to every organization, medical company, or financial institution. Never carry your Social Security card or birth certification with you in your wallet.

3. Mailbox Theft

Check your mail every day to minimize risk. Get a camera with real time and historical monitoring so you can go back and look if you suspect a mailbox thief.

4. Connecting to Insecure Networks (Wi-Fi)

It’s really a dangerous game to connect to somebody else’s network. If they know what they’re doing, they can watch everything you do while you’re on their network – steal passwords for websites you log into, see all your traffic to and from websites, see all the webpages you go to, etc. Even worse, if they don’t know what they’re doing they can inadvertently expose you to other attackers that were able to hack into their network. It’s best to use known networks and take matters into your own hands and secure your computer or mobile device.

5. Data Breaches

This is where the consumer market has the most problems. There are no tools available to give visibility into an organization’s performance and whetherthey are taking steps to safeguard your data. Dteckt believes that every consumer should get the ability to see into an organization’s performance and be given the ability to see free performance grades. It’s key to understand their security posture before you decide to do business with them. It’s unfortunate that you don’t always have a choice of whether to give a company your personal information, such as with the Credit Bureaus  but at least with a service like Dteckt you can see when they have a Data Breach and take action.

6. Skimming

Skimming is when a bad actor steals your credit card information from a brick-and-mortar location like a gas pump or an ATM. This is one of the reasons why credit card chips are better than sliding your credit card. Use a chip when possible. This is another example of where a consumer is at a disadvantage. Preventing Skimming falls on an organization. The best you can do is be aware, use a chip, monitor your organization’s security and privacy performance, and subscribe to finance and identity monitoring.

7. Shoulder Surfing

Sometimes it’s as simple as a bad actor learning your password by watching over your shoulder. Stay aware of odd surroundings, don’t leave sensitive information where people can see it, and take care when typing in passwords or sensitive information you wouldn’t want a stranger to know.

8. Malware

Malicious software on your computer or mobile device is extremely common. If you don’t already have Anti-Virus, you really need to use one. There are many free offerings available or even premium offerings that give better visibility and protection.

Malware is often installed by opening an email attachment or visiting an infected website.

Signs That You May Be the Victim of Identity Theft

Watch out for the following signs that indicate whether you may be the victim of identity theft.

  • Unknown charges on your credit or debit cards.
  • Unexpected changes in your credit scores.
  • New accounts opened in your name that wasn’t initiated by you.
  • Unexpected debt collection notices.
  • You child gets credit card offers.
  • You start to receive calls from debt collectors about late payments.
  • Unable to e-file because someone else has already filed under that Social Security number.
  • IRS notice or letter referencing activity you know nothing about.
  • IRS records saying you worked for an employer that you did not.
  • Claims or payments on your insurance explanation of benefits that you do not recognize.
  • An email, letter, or text from your financial institution that refers to an action or transaction you don’t recognize. Be careful with this one as phishing email often come through in this form.
  • Being detained by a police officer for reasons that are unclear to you.
  • Being denied employment or a promotion because of something found in a background check.

Reporting And Recovering from Identity Theft

  1. We’ll stay quick and to the point.
  2. Report at IdentityTheft.gov or 877-438-4338.
  3. Report it to your local Police Department. Provide the IdentityTheft.gov as evidence.
  4. Place a fraud alert with all 3 credit bureaus. Google search “[credit bureau name] fraud alert”.
  5. Contact any company involved, i.e. where you notice something odd occurring – banks, mortgage lenders, medical insurance companies, etc.
  6. Freeze your Credit if it isn’t already.

Knowledge
Apr 30, 2024

The Cost of Free Wi-Fi

The flexibility to work remotely, from any location in the world, is a tempting offer. But without proper internet security knowledge and protocols, remote work may lead to unexpected harm to your personal and business data. The culprit? Your Wi-Fi networks. In fact, free Wi-Fi might come at a price you’re not willing to pay.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 30, 2024

Identity Theft

Identity theft is when someone impersonates you and uses your personal data like your credit cards, name, Social Security number, etc. Bad actors use it to impersonate you.

by
Matt DeVico
Tips
Apr 30, 2024

How to control who has access to your personal information

Imagine a world where you have complete control over your personal information. You can decide who sees it, how they use it, and for how long. It’s a world where you’re not just a product being sold to the highest bidder. It’s a world where you’re in control.

by
Matt DeVico
Tips
Apr 30, 2024

How to Keep Your Devices’ Software Up to Date

Keeping your devices’ software up to date is one of the most important things you can do to protect them from security vulnerabilities and improve their performance. Software updates often include security patches that can fix known vulnerabilities, as well as new features and bug fixes.‍

by
Matt DeVico
Tips
Apr 30, 2024

Opting Out of Tracking and Advertising: Protecting Your Online Privacy

In our digitally connected world, it often feels like our every online move is being watched. Companies use tracking and advertising techniques to collect data on our online behavior, which can feel invasive and concerning.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 30, 2024

The Dark Web

First off, what even is the dark web and why should you care about it? Think of the regular Internet. Think of what Google does for the Internet – they index the entire thing to make it easy for you to find things based on searching for whatever you want.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 30, 2024

How to Protect Your Accounts from Being Hacked

In today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever to protect your accounts from being hacked. Hackers can steal your personal information, financial information, and even your identity. They can also use your hacked accounts to spread malware or spam.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 30, 2024

Risk Management

Risk definition come in many forms and is often referred to as risk management. We find the easiest way to describe is simply as the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about an activity with respect to something that humans value, often focusing on negative, undesirable consequences. None of us want something bad to happen and itspre-wired in our heads to assess the risk of a situation that is presented to us.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 30, 2024

What are the most common types of cyberattacks?

Protecting Your Digital World: A Consumer’s Guide to Common Cyber Attacks

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 30, 2024

Why is cybersecurity important? A rant

Cybersecurity is important, people! It’s important for individuals, businesses, and governments. It’s important for our privacy, our finances, and even our national security.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 30, 2024

Wire Fraud

Wire fraud is real and can happen to anyone. As an example, let’s say you unknowingly accepted fraudulent wire and disbursement instructions that came in your email and transferred the money to criminals. You need to act fast to recover. Accepting wire and disbursement instructions by email is dangerous at best. It’s vital you immediately take these steps to recover from wire fraud.

by
Matt DeVico
Tips
Apr 30, 2024

Password Management

Good Password Management is one of the best ways you can minimize your risk.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 30, 2024

How to recover from Identity Theft

Identity theft is a serious crime that can have a devastating impact on your life. But it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. By following these steps, you can recover from identity theft and get your life back on track.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 30, 2024

How to protect your financial information online

Your financial information is one of the most valuable things you own, so it’s important to take steps to protect it from unauthorized access. In today’s digital world, there are many ways that criminals can try to steal your financial information, so it’s important to be vigilant.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 30, 2024

How can I recover if I’m the victim of financial fraud?

Financial fraud is a crime that can have a devastating impact on victims. It can lead to financial losses, identity theft, and emotional distress. If you’ve been a victim of financial fraud, it’s important to take steps to recover as quickly as possible.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 30, 2024

How Can I Protect Myself from Cyberattacks?

In today’s hyper-connected world, online threats are everywhere, but with some practical steps, you can safeguard your digital life. In this guide, we’ll explore the fundamentals of cybersecurity in a simple and approachable style to help you defend against cyberattacks and preserve your online security.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 30, 2024

Dteckt vs LifeLock vs Aura

In today’s increasingly digital world, identity theft is a prevalent concern. With our personal information scattered across various online and offline platforms, the risk of falling victim to fraudulent activities has never been higher. This has led to a surge in demand for identity theft protection services, which aim to safeguard individuals’ sensitive data and protect them from financial losses.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

Keeping your Identity Safe Online

Your identity is one of your most valuable assets. It includes your name, Social Security number, date of birth, address, and other personal information. If your identity is stolen, criminals can use it to open new accounts in your name, rack up debt, and even commit crimes.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

Top 10 Critical Hacks of All Time

Hacking, by definition, is gaining unauthorized access to data in a system or computer. Now, many of us are familiar with hacks or threats of such to our personal data—spam emails, scammers via your phone, and clickbait viruses that can really be a pain to deal with.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

How can I protect my devices from malware and other online threats?

Malware is any software that is designed to harm a computer system or network. It can come in many forms, such as viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

What are the best practices for financial cybersecurity?

In an era of digital transactions, online banking, and financial investments, the security of our financial assets has become a paramount concern. Ensuring the safety of your financial information and assets in the digital age requires a comprehensive understanding of financial cybersecurity best practices.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 23, 2024

How Can I Protect my Privacy Online?

Our privacy is becoming increasingly important in today’s digital world. We share more and more of our personal information online, and this information can be used by companies, governments, and even criminals to track us, target us with advertising, or even steal our identities.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, use disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

Digital Parenting

There are an increasing number of devices that connect to the Internet. It’s important to have some visibility or a plan to manage how your children are accessing and using them. The notion of Digital Parenting is still a newer concept and tools to help you navigate are lacking.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 23, 2024

How can I prevent online fraud?

Fraud is any act of deception that is used to gain an unfair advantage or to deprive someone of something valuable. Fraud can take many forms, including identity theft, credit card fraud, and investment scams.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 23, 2024

Data Security Threats

One of your biggest threats is choosing what businesses you want to give your information too. Hackers can breach them and get your information without knowledge or wrongdoing from you.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 23, 2024

How can I prevent Identity Theft?

Identity theft is a serious problem, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few simple steps, you can protect your personal information and keep your identity safe.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

The Importance Of Data Privacy

Consumer Privacy, the new hot topic in the industry. Organizations focused on building their brand and doing the right thing are focusing a lot of attention on their privacy protections.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 23, 2024

How can I manage my passwords securely?

Passwords are the keys to our online lives. They protect our email accounts, social media profiles, bank accounts, and more. But with so many passwords to remember, it’s difficult to keep them all strong and secure.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

Data Breach Recovery

Ok, your data has been breached. Now what? You probably weren’t even the cause of the data breach.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 23, 2024

How can I create strong passwords?

A strong password is essential for protecting your online accounts from unauthorized access. A weak password can be easily guessed or cracked by hackers, giving them access to your personal information, financial accounts, and other important data.

by
Matt DeVico
Cybersecurity
Apr 23, 2024

A Deep Dive on the Dark Web

We’ve all heard the term “the dark web”, usually in some scary, abstract way. Many of us probably assume the dark web has nothing to do with us– but what we don’t know actually can hurt us.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 23, 2024

How Can I Backup My Data?

Backing up your data is one of the most important things you can do to protect your digital assets. Data loss can happen for a variety of reasons, such as hardware failure, software crashes, natural disasters, and human error.

by
Matt DeVico
Knowledge
Apr 22, 2024

10 Cybersecurity Tips To Increase Safety and Awareness

We all love the many forms of connectivity offered to us through our devices and the internet, but the truth is, there are significant threats to our privacy as we store information online and on our connected devices.

by
Matt DeVico
free plan

Join us on a Safer Digital Journey

With Dteckt, you’re not just using a service; you’re embracing a safer digital future. Join us on this journey.