

Secure Electronic Devices- Put passwords on laptops, tablets, and phones if used for financial transactions.Never Let Your Cards Out of Sight- Use credit and debit cards for payment only where you can swipe them yourself for gasoline and restaurant meals, try to pay at a cash register or keep attendants and servers in sight.Monitor Your Credit Score- Look for a sharp drop in your score, which could indicate fraudulent activity.Check Your Credit Report- Request one credit report every four months on a rotating basis from the “Big Three” credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) via.Shred Personal Documents - Use a crosscut shredder to destroy old credit card, bank, and broker statements.Use Strong Computer Passwords - Don't use your birth date because this information has now been exposed.Consider a Credit Freeze - Prevent lenders from reviewing your credit to head off new fraudulent accounts.Secure Your Checkbook - Keep it out of plain sight and immediately report missing checks to your bank.Use Credit Instead of Debit Cards - Do this for better fraud protection and to postpone payment for a purchase.Secure Your Debit Cards - Know that it can take weeks to recover funds that are stolen from a bank account.Reconcile Your Checkbook Monthly - Look for unauthorized transactions and checks with changed payees.Carefully Review Bank Account Statements - Look for unauthorized withdrawals and account transfers.Carefully Review Credit Card Statements - Look for unauthorized charges and/or unknown merchants especially beware of small charges (e.g., $1) that fraudsters may make in anticipation of making larger charges later.Below are 25 vigilant practices to put into practice: Why so long? Hacked data is basically “out there” forever and can remain dormant for years before it is actually misused. What to do? Convert vague advice into concrete action steps that can be practiced for the remainder of your life. We were also told to “be vigilant” to guard against future identity theft crimes.
Am i protected if someone steals my checkbook for free#
Extension Specialist in Financial Resource ManagementĪfter the Equifax hack, Americans were basically told to “deal with it” by checking our credit reports regularly, signing up for free credit monitoring, requesting a fraud alert, and freezing our credit.
