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Identity theft has become more prevalent with the advancement in technology. Just as with any other progress we have made, there is somebody who uses it inappropriately. December is National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month and we wanted to share some information on this major epidemic.
From simple mail fraud to hackers accessing your Social Security Number (SSN) to turn your life upside down, identity theft is a widespread problem. People impacted by this invasion are left feeling helpless after another person gains access to their entire lives. As a result of identity theft, victims go on to have difficulty with basic things like applying for a loan and renting a home, and often have to endure the arduous process of fixing a ruined credit history. The emotional trauma is unimaginable.
Cybersecurity has been a major focus among private and government agencies. Even though more stringent measures have been enforced, the number of breaches have not reduced. One of the major scares that hit on a national level was the Target data breach where almost 40 million customer debit and credit cards were compromised during the 2014 holiday season.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s Data Breach Report released on December 8, 2015, there have been 732 known breaches that have exposed 176,325,059 records. The previous report, released on December 1, 2015 shows 717 breaches.
Some of the biggest breaches of the year include Anthem, where personal information of about 80 million individuals was exposed to hackers. Though we do not know the exact numbers, Amazon had a data breach in November 2015, where the account passwords of some customers were compromised.
Identity Protection Tips:
- Use complicated passwords for your emails, social media and other accounts; change them regularly.
- Be aware of what you carry in your purse or wallet
- Shred any documents that carry personal information
- Protect your snail mail, regularly monitor your mail because it is one of the easiest sources for identity thieves
- Sign up for credit monitoring
- Set up alerts that notify any unusual changes to your contact information or any other suspicious online activity
- Be extra cautious when dealing with online transactions: do not download material from unknown sources, do not send out account numbers or passwords through email or chat and do not enter personal information on websites that do not have the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https) prefix on their web address
- Act immediately: contact credit card providers, lodge a complaint with the police and contact your credit agency to inform them of the incident and set up a fraud alert
Having entered the busiest shopping season of the year, we hope that you shop cautiously and have a joyful holiday season.