Your personal information and data is constantly at risk, but there are steps you can take to prevent it.
Threats to your identity are everywhere these days. Technology has made our lives more convenient, but it’s also put us more at risk. Cyberattacks are getting more and more sophisticated, so you need to take every precaution possible to protect yourself.
The good news is that there are a range of things you can do to protect your identity. And although you may not be able to prevent every kind of theft, you can at least make sure you can catch potential theft early and be proactive about stopping it in its tracks.
How prevalent is identity theft?
- In 2017 alone, there were 16.7 million victims of identity theft, with total financial losses of $16.8 billion
- 30% of U.S. consumers received notice their data had been compromised in at least one data breach last year
- For the first time ever, more Social Security numbers were exposed in a year than credit card account numbers
- 21% of victims experienced theft more than once
- 14% of victims experience at least some financial loss as the result of theft
- 86% of all reported ID theft incidents involve the misuse of an existing credit or bank account
- 4 million consumers have experienced bank card fraud and 7.7 million consumers have been the victims of credit fraud
- 1 million Americans had their personal information stolen to open a new account
Types of identity theft
Although account misuse is the most common type of identity theft, it’s certainly not the only type there is. Knowing all the threats you face can help you take the proper steps to protect your identity. The following pages can help you understand how to prevent and address various types of identity theft:
- Social Security Identity Theft
- Online Identity Theft
- Credit Fraud and Your Credit Reports
- Social Media Identity Theft
Protecting Your Identity
Now that you understand the threats that you face to your personal data, you need to know how to spot and prevent identity theft. In addition, if theft happens to you, you also need to know how to report it. The faster your report identity theft and take the steps you need to take, the less likely you are to face financial losses.
