--- title: Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft description: Start by assuming you're going to get hacked. Next, figure out how you'll protect yourself and keep your information secure. authors: - name: Jill Schlesinger url: https://money.com/author/jill-schlesinger/ at_money_since: 2015 articles: 24 covers: - Identity Theft - Career Advice - Housing - Investing - Lifestyle - Personal Finance - Retirement - Taxes social: - https://x.com/jillonmoney former_staff: true published: '2016-06-07T12:00:56.000Z' modified: '2024-02-23T09:59:00.000Z' section: Identity Theft tags: - ID Theft - identity theft word_count: 254 canonical: https://money.com/protect-yourself-identity-theft/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Jill Schlesinger](https://img.money.com/2016/06/screen_shot_2016-06-06_at_2-23-32_pm.png) As the incidence of [identity theft rises](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/03/ftc-releases-annual-summary-consumer-complaints), it’s best to assume the worst and learn how to protect your personal information. In his new book, [*Swiped*](https://adamlevin.com/swiped-book-adam-levin/), identity theft and fraud expert Adam Levin says that consumers are going to fall prey to these digital threats -- so they need to prepare and fight back. Creative and determined hackers can piece together snippets of information from a variety of sources to re-create your profile, says Levin, who before entering the private sector served as director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. They can create a well-rounded dossier on who you are, and then use your personal data -- including Social Security Numbers, phone numbers, email and physical addresses, credit reports, and medical records -- to commit fraud: undermining your credit score, say, or learning when and where you'll be on vacation, exposing your house to theft. Levin advocates three guidelines for consumers: - Minimize your exposure by guarding your information. - Monitor your accounts by keeping an eye on your credit scores and using instant alerts from credit card companies and banks. - Manage any damage by taking immediate if your information is compromised. If you are a victim of identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission recommends these steps: - Report the theft at [IdentityTheft.gov](https://www.identitytheft.gov/). - Contact the three major credit bureaus to place a ‘fraud alert’ on your credit records: - [Equifax](http://www.equifax.com/home/en_us), 1-800-766-0008 - [Experian](http://www.experian.com/), 1-888-397-3742 - [TransUnion](http://www.transunion.com/), 1-800-680-7289 - Contact your financial institutions, and close any financial or credit accounts opened without your permission or tampered with by identity thieves. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/protect-yourself-identity-theft/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Identity Theft", "item": "https://money.com/identity-theft/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Identity Theft Protection", "item": "https://money.com/identity-theft-protection/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/protect-yourself-identity-theft/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/protect-yourself-identity-theft/", "name": "Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2016-06-07T12:00:56.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/protect-yourself-identity-theft/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/protect-yourself-identity-theft/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-02-23T09:59:00.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft", "articleSection": "Identity Theft", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2016/06/screen_shot_2016-06-06_at_2-23-32_pm.png", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "caption": "Screen_Shot_2016-06-06_at_2.23.32_PM" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jill Schlesinger", "url": "https://money.com/author/jill-schlesinger/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/jill-schlesinger/#author", "image": "https://img.money.com/2015/11/151119_bio_author_schlesinger.jpg?quality=85&w=640&h=640&crop=1", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/jillonmoney" ] } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2016-06-07T12:00:56.000Z", "description": "Start by assuming you're going to get hacked. Next, figure out how you'll protect yourself and keep your information secure.", "abstract": "Start by assuming you're going to get hacked. Next, figure out how you'll protect yourself and keep your information secure.", "@id": "https://money.com/protect-yourself-identity-theft/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2024-02-23T09:59:00.000Z", "wordCount": 254, "keywords": [ "ID Theft", "identity theft" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Identity theft", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_theft" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Scam", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam" ] } ] } ] } ```