Stolen Bag, Stolen Identity: 4 Tips to Protect Yourself After Your Personal Information is Stolen

After a great beach day, you return to your car only to find your window smashed and your bag stolen. Not ideal. You then remember that your wallet or purse was in the bag. Even worse. Whoever has taken the bag now has your ID, credit and debit card info. Unfortunate doesn’t even begin to cover it.  

Bad guys will definitely try to access your accounts, possibly pretending to be you at your bank, or using your documents to open new accounts in your name. What can you do to protect yourself if your personal information is stolen? Here are 4 tips to consider. 

1. Protecting your information begins with limiting your exposure. While it’s common and necessary to carry your photo ID and payment cards, there are items that should not go with you everywhere. Social Security cards, notes containing PIN numbers or passwords, and even your checkbook should never be carried with you unnecessarily. If your identification or account info is stolen, note the time and date you discovered the issue, make a list of all items that were stolen, and continue to log and retain information for future reference. 
2. Immediately contact all financial institutions at which you hold accounts and let them know your information was stolen. Request to review the accounts for any activity that has occurred since the theft was discovered and immediately dispute any unauthorized charges. All stolen cards and compromised accounts should be closed and replaced. Remember to reset any autopayments linked to those accounts. If your financial institution’s card or account number wasn’t compromised, inform them of the theft anyway and place enhanced security such as a new verbal password or multi-factor-authentication on your accounts.  
3. Once the immediate risk of transactions is handled by replacing accounts, it’s time to protect your identity. If your Social Security number (SSN) was stolen, get your free credit reports from com. Check for any accounts or charges you don’t recognize. Consider placing a free credit freeze. If you place a freeze, be ready to take a few extra steps the next time you apply for a new credit card or cell phone – or any service that requires a credit check. If you decide not to place a credit freeze, at least consider placing a fraud alert.   
4. Try to file your taxes early — before a scammer can. Tax identity theft happens when someone uses your SSN to get a tax refund or a job. Respond right away to letters from the IRS. Don’t believe anyone who calls and says you’ll be arrested unless you pay for taxes or debt — even if they have part or all of your SSN, or they say they’re from the IRS. If your ID or license has been stolen, contact your nearest motor vehicles branch to report it. The state might flag your license number in case someone else tries to use it, or they might suggest that you apply for a duplicate. 

Being the victim of theft can be a difficult experience, but following these tips from CPB can help make the transaction back to normal life smoother. 

Sources: 

https://www.honolulupd.org/information/identity-theft/ 

https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/Info-Lost-or-Stolen