What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your identity or personal information—such as your name, your driver's license, or your Social Security number—without your permission to commit a crime or fraud. There are many different types of identity theft that can occur as criminals are always looking for new ways to exploit consumer information.

5 Common Ways Your Identity is Used

1. Thieves open fraudulent credit card accounts in your name.

2. Thieves use your credit cards or account numbers to make purchases.

3. Thieves sell your personal information on the dark web—Social Security number, credit card, and account information—to commit credit fraud, medical fraud and more.

4. Thieves file fraudulent taxes and/or steal your tax refunds.

5. Thieves know your account passwords, bank PIN numbers or other passwords to access your computer, your financial accounts or use your Social Security number and other personal information to gain access or even commit child ID theft.

What is Password Protection?

Tips for Strong, Secure Passwords & Other Authentication Tools

​A strong password is your first line of defense against intruders and imposters.

• Never give out your password to anyone. Never give it to friends, even if they’re really good friends. A friend can – maybe even accidentally – pass your password along to others or even become an ex-friend and abuse it.

• Use unique passwords for each site you visit. It’s possible that someone working at a site where you use that password could pass it on or use it to break into your accounts at other sites.

• Create passwords that are easy to remember but hard for others to guess. When possible, use a phrase such as “I started 7th grade at Lincoln Middle School in 2004” and use the initial of each word like this: “Is7gaLMSi#2004.” And make them at least a little different (by adding a couple of unique letters) for each site. On some sites you might even be able to type in the entire phrase.

• Make the password at least 8 characters long. The longer the better. Longer passwords are harder for thieves to crack.

• Don't use browsers to save passwords. Yes it's easier but it's much more susceptible to hacking through browsers.

• Include numbers, capital letters and symbols. Consider using a $ instead of an S or a 1 instead of an L, or including an & or % – but note that $1ngle is NOT a good password. Password thieves are onto this. But Mf$J1ravng (short for “My friend Sam Jones is really a very nice guy) is an excellent password.

• Avoid dictionary words: If it’s in the dictionary, there is a chance someone will guess it. There’s even software that criminals use that can guess words used in dictionaries.

• Never post your PW in plain sight: This might seem obvious but studies have found that a lot of people post their password on their monitor with a sticky note. Bad idea. If you must write it down, hide the note somewhere where no one can find it.

• Consider using two-factor authentication. Many services offer an option to verify your identity if someone logs on to your account from an unrecognized device. The typical method is to send a text or other type of message to a mobile device registered to you with a code you need to type in to verity it’s really you. In most cases, you will not be required to use this code when logging on from a known device such as your own computer, tablet or phone.

• Don’t fall for “phishing” attacks. Be very careful before clicking on a link (even if it appears to be from a legitimate site) asking you to log in, change your password or provide any other personal information. It might be legit or it might be a “phishing” scam where the information you enter goes to a hacker. When in doubt, log on manually by typing what you know to be the site’s URL into your browser window.

• Make sure your devices are secure. The best password in the world might not do you any good if someone is looking over your shoulder while you type or if you forget to log out on a cybercafe computer. Malicious software, including “keyboard loggers” that record all of your keystrokes, has been used to steal passwords and other information. To increase security, make sure you’re using up-to-date anti-malware software and that your operating system is up-to-date.

• Use a “password” or fingerprints for your phone too. Most phones can be locked so that the only way to use them is to type in a code, typically a string of numbers or maybe a pattern you draw on the screen. Some new phones allow you to register fingerprints, which are quite secure. Sometimes when people with bad intentions find unlocked phones, they use them to steal the owners’ information, make a lot of calls, or send texts that look like they’re coming from the owner. Someone posing as you could send texts that make it look like you’re bullying or harassing someone in your address book with inappropriate images or words.