by Identity theft is nothing to jest about. Within a single year, millions upon millions of American citizens have had their personal information stolen and/or misrepresented on the internet, and the very same thing can happen to you if you’re not careful enough. Sometimes, it’s hard to even know what has happened unless you’re on the lookout for certain signs and red flags, including what we’re about to uncover:
You’re getting billed for purchases you fail to recognize
This is one of the telltale signs that someone has gotten a hold of your sensitive personal information. As a security precaution, you should notify the bank of what has happened immediately, so they cancel your credit card and issue you a new one. You should also not hesitate to contact the police. Even though it’s very hard to track down the culprit, at least it serves as a way to make it known that you didn’t authorize these purchases, which is instrumental to getting your hard-earned money back at some point in the future.
You’re receiving login attempt alerts
Upon receiving suspicious-looking login attempt alerts or two-factor authentication alerts, you should know that something fishy is up. It could be that you’ve accessed one of your accounts from a new device or something similar, so always make sure to rule that out before panicking. But if you just can’t find the reason why this is happening, someone is likely trying to force their way into your account or it may have already been compromised.
Companies keep rejecting your application for no reason
Let’s say you’re getting in strange conflicts with health insurance companies. They could out-right deny you, or charge you extra for a pre-existing condition you don’t have. If it happens once, it’s likely a coincidence. But if it happens with 2 different companies or more, it’s a pattern. The only way to know for sure is to check if your information currently being sold on the Dark Web; that way, you won’t have to stumble in the dark, not knowing what’s going on.
Strange people start contacting you
Whether it be through phone calls or via the mail, getting contacted by people that should have no business getting in touch with you is a surefire sign that something sinister is going on. At first, it’s okay to brush it off and make the assumption they made an error or dialed the wrong number or something similar. But again, if this keeps on happening for times on end, the whole thing is ripe for some serious investigation. Be especially wary of strange SMS messages with PIN codes in them that you don’t recognize – these likely mean that an unauthorized individual is trying to obtain access to one of your accounts.
Conclusion
Your identity is one of the most valuable assets that you have, and as such, it must be protected at all costs. The signs we’ve presented are some of the most alarming ones to watch out for, but as always, there are others almost equally as serious. Being on your guard at all times will ensure that you’re able to do something about it as soon as you notice that something is a bit off.
