How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

You can protect yourself from identity theft by safeguarding your Social Security number and other sensitive documents, regularly reviewing your credit reports, using a dark web monitoring tool and not oversharing online. Identity theft occurs when someone steals and uses your sensitive documents unbeknownst to you to gain money or access to your confidential information. Examples of sensitive documents include Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account information and passport numbers. Typically, you can become a victim of identity theft if you have a weak password or if your login credentials are compromised in a data breach. Once a cybercriminal accesses your account and steals your private data, they could sell your sensitive information on the dark web to other cybercriminals.

Continue reading to learn nine of the best tips to protect your identity from getting stolen and how Keeper^® can help.

1. Protect your Social Security number

It is essential to keep your Social Security number safe because a cybercriminal could use it to open bank accounts in your name, steal your health benefits or commit other types of fraud. Since your Social Security number is used to track your income and your citizenship, it is an incredibly important type of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). If someone with malicious intent finds your Social Security number, they could impersonate you to receive employment, benefits, financial information and more. Due to the importance of your Social Security number and the severity of the consequences if it is stolen, you should never carry your Social Security card with you.

2. Keep your sensitive documents in a secure place

In addition to protecting your Social Security number, you should always ensure that all your sensitive documents are located in a safe place. For physical documents such as your Social Security card or passport, store them in places where they are not easily accessible – choose a special drawer that you can lock, for instance. Do not make it easy for anyone, including people you may trust, to find documents that could jeopardize your identity.

3. Review your credit reports and bank statements regularly

Suspicious activity may lead to identity theft if it goes unnoticed, which is why you should frequently review your credit reports and bank statements. If you see an unfamiliar address on bank statements, transactions you didn’t make on credit cards or loans you didn’t apply for, you should immediately contact each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). Without regularly checking your credit report, you may not realize when someone has been using your credit cards or other financial information to commit fraud and identity theft until it’s too late.

4. Use a dark web monitoring tool

If a cybercriminal steals your Social Security number or other PII, they will most likely sell it on the dark web to make a profit. The dark web is an untraceable part of the internet where cybercriminals go to buy or sell weapons, drugs and sensitive information, including medical records, driver’s licenses, home addresses and much more. Luckily, there are resources like dark web monitoring tools that you can use to find out if your sensitive information is on the dark web.

5. Learn to spot phishing attempts

Since falling for a phishing attempt could give cybercriminals access to your private information, it is important to learn the common signs of them. Phishing is a type of cyber attack that occurs when a cybercriminal pretends to be someone their target knows and tricks them into sharing personal information.

There are a few common indicators of phishing attempts that you should be mindful of if you ever receive a suspicious email. For example, some email providers will actually warn you if they suspect an email you’ve received could be a phishing attempt. Even if you don’t receive a warning, most phishing attempts can be spotted if they contain urgent language, threats, many spelling or grammatical errors, links or attachments for you to click and requests for private information.

If you receive an email and spot any of these signs, it is safest to never respond and delete the message. Always remember that a cybercriminal could impersonate someone that you trust, like a spouse or family member. Be careful not to share sensitive information in unsafe ways, such as over email or text, because a cybercriminal could steal what you intend to send to someone you truly trust.

6. Do not overshare online

Oversharing online can be harmful for a variety of reasons, but you can keep your identity private by limiting what you post on social media. You may be reading this and thinking, “I don’t share too much about myself on social media.” However, if you post about who you regularly hang out with, your hobbies, your current location, information about your job or family drama, you risk cybercriminals learning intimate details that could turn you into a target.

For example, if you regularly post pictures of you taking a pottery class with your best friend at a local art studio, a cybercriminal could learn about your interests, relationships and location, think of passwords you might use based on those topics and potentially gain access to your accounts. In addition to limiting what you share online, you should make any public accounts private and monitor who your followers are. Make sure not to share your home address, birthdate or anything you use as an answer for common security questions online to avoid a cybercriminal stealing your identity.

7. Avoid using public WiFi

Using public WiFi comes with a myriad of dangers, including unencrypted networks and cybercriminals stealing your information after hacking the network. Think about your experience using WiFi in an airport: You want to connect to WiFi quickly before your flight so you can write a few important emails before takeoff. However, if you use public WiFi, you risk malware being installed on your device without your knowledge through phishing emails or spoofed websites. Then, a cybercriminal can access your device and steal your private information.

A great solution for using public WiFi is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which encrypts your public internet connection to make your browsing experience private. VPNs encrypt all the data you send and receive, so you can check your emails or bank accounts without risking unauthorized access. This extra security measure makes using public WiFi much safer by preventing cybercriminals from stealing your private data.

8. Install antivirus software

Antivirus software detects, stops and removes malware or viruses from infecting your device. Malware is a type of software that cybercriminals install on your device without your knowledge so they can steal your private data. When you install antivirus software on your device, you are adding an additional layer of security against malware and viruses, which protects you from cybercriminals using them to steal your identity.

9. Use a password manager

To keep your private information safe from cyber threats, use a password manager to store your login credentials in a secure location. Beyond keeping your login credentials safe, a password manager can also generate strong and unique passwords, identify weak passwords and store other materials like documents containing sensitive information. A password manager like Keeper can protect you from identity theft because you can store a copy of your Social Security card inside your digital vault to keep it encrypted and safe.

How Keeper can help protect you from identity theft

When you use Keeper Password Manager, your identity will remain protected as long as you follow strong online safety practices. Some of these best practices include keeping your Social Security number private, not oversharing online, frequently checking your credit reports and using a password manager.

Start your free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager to see the benefits of having a password generator, password manager and dark web monitoring tool all in one place.