You probably know someone who’s been through the terrible, frightening experience of identity theft. There are plenty of ways that identity thieves get a hold of people’s personal information, and they’re extremely creative and adept at doing so. Lots of people don’t even realize that their identity has been stolen until they receive a bad credit report or notice charges that they didn’t make.
Identity thieves can get your personal information from Dumpster diving, scamming you online with emails or pop-ups (called phishing), changing the address that your credit card bills are sent to, impersonating authorized personnel to get your information from financial institutions, or physically stealing it by snagging your purse or wallet. They take your information for a variety of reasons, including opening bank accounts, getting a loan, stealing your money from an ATM, or getting documents like driver’s licenses.
Identity theft can happen to anyone at any time, so it’s important to be prepared and do what you can to prevent your information from being compromised. We’ve got some tips that will help you protect your identity—and spare you the headache that comes along with sorting out a stolen identity.