Staying Fit
Each year millions of consumers discover a disturbing truth — their personal information has been compromised.
It’s a massive problem: Identity fraud cost nearly 40 million Americans a combined $42 billion in 2023, according to a new AARP-sponsored report from Javelin Strategy & Research.
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Frankly, it’s likely that all of our data is out there, whether we know it or not. But all is not lost. You can protect yourself against fraud even when your data has been exposed.
How It Works
- In data breaches, criminals hack into the systems of banks, retailers and health care and other companies and steal sensitive consumer data.
- Phone calls, text messages, emails and social media are a playground for criminals who pretend to be a government agency or business you trust and try to get you to share sensitive data or click a link that could infect your device with data-harvesting malware.
- Mail — whether incoming, outgoing or what we toss out — is a gold mine for identity thieves to pick up sensitive information they can use themselves or sell to the highest bidder.
What You Should Know
- Criminals use stolen identities to open new accounts in the victims’ names, or they combine real data with fake data to create new personas and open accounts in that manner.
- If they have just the right information, criminals use your personal information to take over your existing accounts, whether or not they are financial in nature.
- Stolen identities are used to get medical treatment, file for government benefits and file tax returns.
What You Should Do
- Ensure that your devices are equipped with the latest operating software updates as well as security and antivirus software and enable automatic updates to help mitigate known security vulnerabilities.
- Create unique and strong passwords or passphrases and use two-factor authentication when available, which is a way beyond your username and password to verify it’s you accessing your account or device.
- Set up online access to your financial accounts to monitor transactions and quickly recognize and report any suspicious activity.
- Request your free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus at annualcreditreport.com to check for suspicious activity.
- Consider putting a fraud alert or freeze on your credit report. Creditors are then required to verify that you are the one adding new or altering existing accounts.
- If you find that you are a victim of identity fraud, visit identitytheft.gov for a personalized recovery plan. For additional support, contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360.
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