If you’re trying to keep your personal information secure, recent headlines have been a grim reminder of the risks involved. With data breaches on the rise, it’s essential to take steps to minimize the possibility of identity theft or fraud. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself.
You can use websites like NPD Breach Check (npd.pentester.com) or National Public Data Breach Check & Search (npdbreach.com) to see if your information was leaked in a data breach. These websites are dedicated to the National Public Data breach and don’t require sensitive information for verification. You can also use Google’s Dark Web Report service or some paid antivirus subscriptions to get notifications about data breaches.
Freezing your credit is a smart move when your full name, date of birth, and social security number are floating around on the internet. You must perform the security freeze with each credit bureau, including Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Once frozen, your credit reports become only available to you. If you need to allow a third-party credit check, you can temporarily lift the freeze through the credit bureau’s website or phone line.
You should also check your credit reports for any fraudulent activity. You can do this weekly through the official website (AnnualCreditReport.com) or request paper copies once per year. If you spot inaccurate details, you can dispute them, and if you think you see signs of identity theft, you can report it and begin remediation.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows you to prevent other people from fraudulently filing in your name by requesting an identity protection PIN (IP PIN). Any filed return must include the six-digit PIN for it to be processed.
You can prevent becoming blackballed by placing a security freeze with ChexSystems, the main company used by banks to verify if you’re a worthy customer. Once in place, only you can access your report. To temporarily lift the freeze, you can make your request online, using the PIN issued to you when the freeze first went into effect.