Courtesy: Ameriprise Financial
If media reports have you thinking that cybercrime has evolved from isolated outbreaks to epidemic proportions, it can be hard to figure out where the sensationalism ends and the real threat begins.
The three most common types of identity theft are financial, medical, and online. Learn how you can help prevent them and what to do if they happen to you.
1. Financial Theft
Most people associate identity theft with this type of crime, which involves the use of personal information to take over financial accounts.
If you notice suspicious activity on a bank or credit card statement
Protect Your Social Security Number
2. Medical Identity Theft
Did you know that your health insurance information can be used by someone else to see a doctor, get prescription drugs or file claims to your insurance provider?How you can help protect yourself against medical identity theft
3. Online Identity Theft
A sharp increase in social media use means greater opportunities than ever before to steal identities or perpetuate fraud online.Tips to help you protect yourself when using social media
While institutions are continuously adapting to the latest cybercrime techniques, the first line of defense is often at home, since identity thieves specialize in hacking personal computers.
1. Watch for phishing
2. Verify virus alerts
3. Update your software
4. Beware of phone scams
If you are a victim of cybercrime, file a local police report and contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to file an identity theft affidavit.
Identity Theft Hotline
Phone: 1.877.438.4338 (1.877.ID.THEFT)
Online: identitytheft.gov
These actions will create an official FTC Identity Theft Report and can help you access information about other breaches, stop creditors from collecting identity-theft-driven debt, and erase false information from credit reports.
Equifax: 1.888.766.0008
Experian: 1.888.397.3742
TransUnion: 1.800.680.7289