There are millions of victims of identity theft annually and in the wake of the new Capital One Data Breach, in which a hacker gained access to more than 100 million customers’ accounts, identify theft is on the forefront everyone’s minds. In recent cases like the Capital One breach and the 2017 Equifax breach which impact 150 million individuals, many individuals need to learn how to react to their personal information being accessible.
While your information may be available, it may not have been used. This means that you should start monitoring your credit for any suspicious activities. The law requires the major credit agencies to give you a free copy of your credit report annually. See our resources page to lean how to order your free credit report. You can also use a site like creditkarma.com to monitor your credit more regularly. If you do not want to monitor your credit yourself, there are many resources to sign up for credit monitoring. As part of the recent Equifax settlement, any individual who was impacted can sign up for free credit monitoring. Find out if you were impacted by that breach here.
If you are immediately worried about your credit being impacted, you do have a few options. You can put a fraud alert on your account with each of the three major credit bureaus which will last for a year and require companies to verify your identity before signing up or making changes to any existing accounts. Alternatively, a security or credit freeze will freeze your account with a PIN unless otherwise lifted and a credit report lock is similar to a security freeze but you can lock and unlock your account using a mobile app. If you determine you need to freeze your account you need to complete the process at each of the three major credit bureaus.
If find that you have been a victim of identity theft you’ll want to take several measures:
For more information on identify theft the IRS has several resources:
Your state should also have resources for identity theft: See New Hampshire's Here
If you are immediately worried about your credit being impacted, you do have a few options. You can put a fraud alert on your account with each of the three major credit bureaus which will last for a year and require companies to verify your identity before signing up or making changes to any existing accounts. Alternatively, a security or credit freeze will freeze your account with a PIN unless otherwise lifted and a credit report lock is similar to a security freeze but you can lock and unlock your account using a mobile app. If you determine you need to freeze your account you need to complete the process at each of the three major credit bureaus.
- Equifax: Call 800-685-1111 or go online.
- Experian: Call 888‑397‑3742 or go online.
- TransUnion: Call 888-909-8872 or go online.
If find that you have been a victim of identity theft you’ll want to take several measures:
- Report the fraud at the the financial institution where it occurred
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at identitytheft.gov
- Close any accounts that were opened fraudulently
- If you have an issue filing your tax Return, complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit
For more information on identify theft the IRS has several resources:
- Identity Theft For Taxpayers (Publication 5027)
- A dedicated web page on information related to identity theft
Your state should also have resources for identity theft: See New Hampshire's Here
