Protection Against Identity Theft
What is identity theft?
Identity theft is a crime in which an imposter/bad actor obtains key pieces of personal information, such as a Social Security Number, driver’s license or an equivalent government-issued identification number, to impersonate someone else. This information can be used to obtain credit, merchandise, and services in the name of the victim, or to provide the thief with false credentials to access financial and other types of accounts.
Tips to help prevent identity theft:
- Only carry necessary personal information with you. For example, there is no need to carry your social security card in most countries.
- Memorize your Social Security number or other government identification numbers
- Never give out personal information to anyone voluntarily unless you know the requestor and it is for a valid reason
- Check your credit reports regularly to see if there are any major changes such as lower scores that might indicate fraudulent activity
- Keep all of your checkbooks, personal documents, and financial statements in a secure place
- Shred all documents with personal information before disposing them
- Be aware of social scams and how to avoid them
- Promptly report the theft of your wallet, credit cards, debit cards, checkbook, or financial statements to law enforcement and your financial institutions
- U.S. Only - Put a freeze/security freeze on your credit with credit agencies (e.g., Experian, Equifax, TransUnion in the U.S.) to prevent thieves from opening new accounts in your name
