Identity Theft Takes a New Turn
February 15, 2017
There’s also a growing trend of identity fraud crimes enabled by victims’ social media posts. Harmless items on your pages, including celebrations of your birthday, or a college graduation or reunion, give thieves information they use to open new accounts in your name. Fraudulent new credit accounts for more than half the increase in identity theft crime last year.
So what should you be doing to guard your identity? Here are some suggestions, which mostly involve common sense and a commitment to regularly review your finances:
- Check online accounts regularly.
- Check your credit report at least quarterly.
- Guard your personal information.
- Create two-factor authentication for your banking, credit and brokerage accounts.
- Be aware of your vulnerabilities.”
Read specifics to guard against identity theft.
Terry Savage is a nationally recognized expert on personal finance, the economy and markets. She responds to questions on her blog at TerrySavage.com.