Personal Data Security

Hearing about breach after breach at banks, hospitals, insurance companies, even schools, it’s easy to feel like throwing your hands up.

Your Social Security number? Gone. Your passwords? Already for sale. So does protecting your identity still matter?  Absolutely. More than ever.

Here’s the deal: You can’t stop your info from leaking. That ship has sailed. But you can stop criminals from ruining your life with it.

Here’s how to protect yourself

1.       Set up an IRS online account: You’ll be able to spot suspicious activity early. Go here.  https://www.irs.gov/payments

2.       Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN): It’s a six-digit code that locks down your tax return, so no one can file in your name without it. Get your PIN here. https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin

3.       Pull your credit reports: Head to AnnualCreditReport.com. It’s free, and you’ll see if anything weird pops up. https://www.annualcreditreport.com/

4.       Freeze your credit for free: Note there are four credit bureaus now.

• Freeze Equifax - https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
• Freeze Experian - https://www.experian.com/help/credit-freeze
• Freeze TransUnion - https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
• Freeze Innovis - https://www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze

You might not be able to stop the next breach, but you can stop it from wrecking your finances, your credit and sanity.