Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Money Management

Are You Doing Enough To Protect Your Identity?

Identity theft is a reality of the modern world and there’s an entire industry surrounding it.

If you think you’re safe from having your identity stolen, much of the time you’ll still be wrong. Recent research suggests that millions of Americans aren’t even taking basic steps to protect their identity.

A recent report from CompareCards has revealed that four in ten American credit and debit card holders have provided their full social security number in an online form during the past month. Two years after the Equifax data breach, it seems that not much has changed and it’s still open season for identity thieves. 42% of cardholders said they intend to claim damages from the Equifax Data breach.

As a part of their survey, CompareCards asked consumers about whether they’re taking ten actions that help detect or prevent identity theft. About 95% of American have taken at least one of these actions, but very few are taking more than a few. American cardholders are dropping the ball in several ways when it comes to keeping up with their cards and the security of their identity. While more than half of Americans checked their credit score during the last year, only 46% check every month.

If you’re having a hard time keeping up with your finances, at least checking your credit score is a must. Sudden changes to your credit score can be a red flag for malicious activity or for when you forget to keep up with your payments.

If you’re concerned about identity theft, try following as many of these steps as you can:

  1. Review your bank and credit statements at least once a month
  2. Check your credit score often
  3. Activate alerts to let you know when charges are being made to your card
  4. Review your credit report
  5. Change the passwords on your bank accounts and card issuer sites
  6. Change the PINs on your cards
  7. Subscribe to a credit monitoring service
  8. Lock an account if you notice suspicious activity

You May Also Like

News

In the past year, Peloton, manufacturers of stationary exercise bicycles and treadmills, has been experiencing some severe financial difficulties. The company went through a...

News

While the ongoing supply chain problems affecting the global economy have had the expected effects, they’ve also had some decidedly unexpected effects. Specifically, many...

News

As gas prices continue to rise and consumer confidence drops, not to mention the ongoing war in Ukraine, the European economy is taking a...

News

As the environmental need for electric vehicles becomes more pressing, and the car-buying public becomes more eager for them, automotive manufacturers are getting ready...

News

This morning, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong sent a mass email out to his company informing everyone that, as stock and crypto prices slip and...

News

Last week, a former cybersecurity expert for Twitter, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, released a whistleblower report on the social platform. In his report, Zatko cited...

News

Zelle is a peer-to-peer payment app and service that can be used by individuals to send and receive money, in a similar vein to...

News

Earlier this week, following the third-term victory of Chinese President Xi Jinping, market shares in Hong Kong experienced a sudden, violent sell-off. Xi’s controversial...