The FTC has warned billions of smartphone owners about identity theft and data breaches.
Identity theft is one of the most common scams by cybercriminals and threat actors.
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It is estimated that millions of Americans have their identities stolen each year.
WHAT IS IDENTITY THEFT?
This type of fraudulent activity refers to someone using your personal information to commit fraud or other crimes.
Types of personal information include your name, social security number, credit card numbers or other identifying information.
If a scammer has this kind of information, he can also do a lot of damage to your financial life.
For example, they can collect your benefits and income, make purchases, set up websites and buy homes, all in your name.
HOW DOES IDENTITY THEFT HAPPEN?
There are a number of ways malicious parties can get their hands on your information.
They can dumpster dive – when someone rummages through the trash looking for documents containing your personal information.
Skimming refers to stealing credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
Phishing is one of the most common methods and describes a scammer posing as a financial institution or company to trick you into disclosing your personal information.
And of course they can also just steal your wallet or mail to find personal numbers or bank statements.
HOW TO STAY SAFE
The FTC has shared some tips on how to protect yourself from identity theft.
First, they beg people to log into a hacked account and change their password. If possible, also change your username.
“If you can’t log in, contact the company. Ask them how to recover or close the account,” the FTC said on a support page.
The second is to change your password on other accounts if you use the same one for multiple logins, although reusing passwords is not recommended at all.
The agency also advises people to check their bank accounts often for charges they don’t recognize.
If you do see something strange, you are advised to lock or freeze your credit or debit cards.
Finally, it is important that you properly dispose of documents containing personal data. Consider using a shredder or taking your documents to a community shredding day, often held by local financial institutions.
Avoid suspicious links that could lead to a phishing attack and always use unique, complex passwords for all accounts.