One of the most commonly traded commodities on the dark web is personal information. People use it for identity theft and various criminal acts. Criminals do not mind going to untold length to try to get people's personal information like your date of birth, Social Security Number, credit card info and credentials of your bank account.
Identity stealing is one of the most common crimes that affect countless Americans. You need to be educated and enlightened to protect your personal data to avoid being a victim of this crime. It is essential to protect your detail as one major issue with such theft is that it only becomes apparent when colossal damage has been done. With this, make sure to watch out for red flags that signal common identity theft:
Your Account Statement seems off, or Your Check bounces
Watch out even for the smallest discrepancy in your account statement, as it might be a sign your detail has been compromised. Make sure to keep tabs on your account and get in touch with your bank should you notice anything out of the ordinary.
If someone has already compromised your bank details, the best cause of action is to close the account and open a fresh one.
Your Credit Card Report has Unfamiliar Activity.
You also need to watch out for unfamiliar activities on the statement of your credit card. There are times criminals will try to test such an account by making small charges to know if it will go through.
Should one’s credit card be stolen and you have fraudulent transactions, get in touch with the card issuer and merchant to update them. Close such an account, get a new one; also, and update all your automatic payments directly to the new card.
Bear in mind that someone who is with your social security account and other personal information might be able to request a new card using your name. If this happens, get in touch with the central credit card bureau to issue a fraud alert and freeze your credit report.
You get strange bills, or you have Missing Bills.
At times, evil beings might change the mailing address of victims to intercept their mail. As a result, missing bills could point to identity theft. With this, criminals can gather data and make sense of it to open a new account with your details.
Opening a credit card with your details is the least of your worries. Think of the fraudulent activities that they can use the card for, like buying things with your name, opening new wireless accounts, and upgrading all existing accounts for their use.
You might be alien to all these until you see an unpaid transaction on your report. This is a sure sign your ID has been compromised.
Your Utility or Cell phone Service Lose Service
When you lose cell phone service, make sure to review such an account quickly as it could be a sign your account has been compromised.
For example, if a criminal updates their phone number on your account, your service will be sent to the new device, which could make your current device lose service. The worst part is that the phone bills of the new device could be on you.
You Couldn’t File Taxes as someone already did on your Behalf
Criminals might use your info to communicate with the IRS or the government. In such a case, this is called being a victim of government ID theft.
This is common with tax-related Identity theft or a tax refund fraud. With your social security number, DOB (date of birth) , identity thieves might claim one’s tax refund and direct it to their personal account. With this, you might not be able to file your tax.
It is also called Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF), which has been a major prosecution case for the Tax section of SSA. Make sure to get in touch with the IRS immediately.
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