Identity theft protection: 4 ways to keep yourself safe

How would you feel if someone, claiming to be you, took out a credit card or bought a new car using your name and personal details? That's exactly what happens with identity theft, and it's on the rise. In 2024, more than 1.1 million incidences of identity theft were reported to the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft website.

If you have become the victim of identity theft, your bank is here to help. Fortunately, you have ways to keep yourself (and your info) safe. Being proactive about identity theft protection can help prevent thieves from getting access to your personal details, so you don't end up dealing with fraudulent accounts, damaged credit or the lengthy process of restoring your identity.

What is identity theft?

Simply put, identity theft is when someone uses your personal information without your permission. Pretending to be you, an identity thief can open a new credit card or bank account, make major purchases or even reach out to your loved ones to ask for money.

Identity theft hurts. It can damage your reputation, make your credit score take a major dip and leave you with a massive bill. Dealing with the aftermath of identity theft can take days, weeks or even months.

That's why taking steps to protect yourself and your identity is so important. Here are four ways you can help keep yourself safe.

1. Protect your physical property

ID thieves can get their hands on your private information in a few different ways. Some will dig around in your trash or recycling bin, looking for discarded mail or other documents with your details. Others will steal right from your mailbox. Some might swipe your wallet.

To keep your private information private, here's what you can do:

• Travel light: Only carry what you need in your wallet, such as a debit card and one credit card, your driver's license and a small amount of cash. Leave your social security card at home.
• Protect your snail mail: Invest in a mailbox that locks and check it daily. If you'll be away for several days or more, visit the USPS website and request a mail hold.
• Shred, shred, shred: Before tossing or recycling mail with your name, address or other personal information on it, send it through a shredder. Also shred old credit and debit cards before you toss them.
• Opt out of pre-approved credit card offers: Pre-approved credit card offers can be catnip for identity thieves. Visit optoutprescreen.com to request that you no longer receive such offers. You can ask to opt out for five years or permanently.

2. Protect yourself online

A thief doesn't need a physical piece of mail to pose as you. Many get access to private information by gaining access to people's online accounts, including bank accounts, email and social media. Keep hackers away — play it safe online:

• Lock down your accounts: A strong password is long, random and unique. Create unique passwords for each of your accounts and then add another layer of protection with multifactor authentication (MFA). With MFA, every time you log into your account, you'll need to provide an additional code, sent to you via text, email or through an authenticator app.
• Be cautious on social media: Keeping your accounts private will prevent scammers from accessing information like your birth date or from knowing when you’ll be away from home.
• Keep your software up to date: Software companies are constantly improving security and issuing updates to keep you safe. Update your computer programs, smartphone and operating system regularly to benefit from the latest security measures.
• Use digital protection: Virus and spyware software quickly detects any harmful programs that may have hitched a ride onto your computer while a firewall blocks dangerous data and software. Install virus protection on your devices and keep it updated.
• Click with care: Before you provide any personal information or shop online, double check the URL of the site you're visiting. Avoid websites that begin with "http" — only visit those that start with "https" (the "s" stands for "secure"). Also confirm that you're on the right site, and that the name is spelled correctly. ID thieves often create fraudulent sites that imitate legitimate organizations and use them to collect people's private data.

3. Watch out for phishing scams

A phishing email or call tries to get you to give up your private information by pretending to be from an institution you trust. As more people get wise to phishing scams, fraudsters are becoming ever more sophisticated. But you still have ways to protect yourself:

• Be wary of unknown numbers: Your bank, credit card or other financial institution will never call you and demand your password or other personal information over the phone. If you get a call from an unknown number and the person on the other end claims to be from your bank, end the call. Look up your bank or financial institution's number online or on your card and call it to confirm.
• Double check that email: Similarly, a legit financial institution won't ask for personal information over email. If you get a suspicious-looking email message, don't click any links in it. Instead, report the email to your bank and send it to your spam folder.
• Keep up with the news: Follow a trusted news source or subscribe to alerts from your financial institution or a consumer protection agency so you're always up-to-date on the latest scams and phishing methods and know exactly what to look for.

4. Check your credit score and report regularly

Identity theft can happen right under your nose. Pay close attention to your personal data so that you can react quickly and stop the damage.

• Review your credit report: You can review your credit report from the three credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) for free once a year. Every four months, choose one report to review. Read it closely, looking for unfamiliar accounts, unexplained changes to your personal information or new account inquiries. If you see anything you don't recognize, report it.
• Sign up for credit monitoring: Credit monitoring gives you a heads up anytime there's a change to your credit, such as a new account opened or a new address on file. It also lets you know if your credit score has gone up or down. Monitoring services also inform you if your personal information is found in a data breach. Check to see if your credit card or bank offer this service for free.
• Pay attention to your bank statements: It's also a smart move to monitor your bank or credit card statements, so you can spot and report any unfamiliar withdrawals or charges.

What to do if someone steals your identity

Despite your best efforts at identity theft protection, a scammer may get your personal information. If that happens, act quickly to undo the damage and avoid liability.

• Contact the financial institution: The second you see an unfamiliar charge or account, contact the bank or financial institution associated with it and report the fraud. Most have liability protection and will reverse any fraudulent charges, but you need to report them first.
• Report the fraud to the credit bureau: If you see an unfamiliar account or address on one or more credit reports, let the credit agency know so they can remove the incorrect information.
• Freeze your credit: To keep thieves from opening more accounts, freeze your credit. With a credit freeze in place, lenders can't open new credit card accounts or approve loans. You can lift the freeze when you need to open a new line of a credit.
• File a report with the FTC: Report the identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC will provide you with an action plan and steps to take to correct the damage and get your identity back.

Protect yourself from identity theft

When it comes to identity theft, it pays to be both proactive and reactive. Shield your information and be cautious about what you share and with whom your share it. If you see anything unusual, react quickly and contact your bank, credit reporting agencies and the FTC to get the ball rolling on undoing the damage.

To report any suspected fraud involving your Citizens account, contact our customer service center by phone or directly through our mobile app*.