November - Protecting Your Identity and Information

To win a physical fight, you need to develop your skillset by having a strategy, building up strength, and identifying your weaknesses. The same applies when protecting your identity, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. This month, take 30 minutes each week to focus on practical steps to prevent identity theft and safeguard your personal information.

Week 1: Check Your Credit Reports and Consider Freezing Your Credit
You can pull your credit report from each bureau for free on AnnualCreditReport.com. Carefully review each one for any unfamiliar accounts or suspicious activity. You may also want to consider freezing your credit with all three bureaus. It’s free and prevents anyone from opening accounts in your name without your permission. You can unfreeze it when you’re ready to apply for credit again.

Takeaway: Pulling your credit reports and freezing your credit are free and easy steps to protect yourself from Identity theft.

Next Week: We live online, so next week, we will check the locks on all our accounts and ensure we’re not easy targets for hackers.

Week 2: Update Passwords and Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
This week, take time to update your most important online account passwords (banking, email, and shopping). We know it’s a pain, and that password you’ve used across the web since college is such an easy go-to, but now more than ever, it’s important to be vigilant. Work smarter, not harder, by using a password manager to generate and store strong, unique passwords securely.

Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on any account that offers it will add an extra layer of security.

Takeaway: While it’s a pain to change your trusty, easy-to-remember passwords and add the extra account verification step, these preventative steps will save you the time and hassle that comes with being hacked.

Next Week: We’ll review your accounts and make sure you’re using all available security resources.

Week 3: Set Up Fraud Alerts and Maximize Account Security Features
Check each account and sign up for fraud alerts through your bank, credit card companies, or credit bureaus. Fraud alerts notify you if suspicious activity occurs on your accounts, allowing you to mitigate fraud damage by catching and addressing it early.

If you have extra time, Investigate each account’s available security features, such as account monitoring, identity theft protection services, or credit monitoring tools. Many are included at no extra cost, especially for financial accounts.

Takeaway: Taking a few minutes to review available security features and ensure you’re making the most of them will offer future protection with little effort.

Next Week: We’ll focus on ways to secure your personal information online and offline.

Week 4: Review your digital footprint
It’s time to clean up your online presence and sure up your digital footprint. Check your social media pages for personal details and remove any information scammers could use. For example, posting your mother’s maiden name or sharing a picture of your first car could easily reveal common account recovery questions. A few other tips for a safer digital walk include:

• Ensure that you use secure websites when shopping online (look for “https” in the URL).
• Avoid logging into sensitive accounts while on public Wi-Fi.
• Using a VPN.

Takeaway: It’s important to practice good digital hygiene. It’s easy to be careless online, but it’s just as easy to incorporate habits that protect against fraud.

Next Week: We’ll turn our attention to setting clear financial goals for the new year that are achievable and set you up for a great 2025.

By taking just 30 minutes each week to protect your identity and ensure your personal information stays secure, you’re one step ahead of identity thieves!