How to Avoid Identity Theft, & What Happened to Me

1If you get ANY e-mails asking for Any information, Don't respond. Two days after opening a pay pal account, I received and e-mail asking me to update my information. I thought this was a legit e-mail for 3 reasons" 1st~ I had not completed my pay pal information when I applied, because I was waiting on the bank. 2nd~ When I applied for pay pal it had read that I must complete my bank information before any transactions can be made. 3rd~ When I received the email, it was asking for updates that I already knew had to be made, AND the message had a direct link to pay pal. If you get an e-mail wanting information, don't delete the message .... yet. Go to your search bar and look up their web site. If it is phony, your search bar will NOT find it. If you are familiar with the company, pull up their website, on YOUR search bar, NOT the link you get in the e-mail. Most companies have a fraud department. Forward them the e-mail, and someone Will contact you. They may also e-mail you and tell you if it is a phishing e-mail. Phishing, meaning trying to get important information that steal you identity. By forwarding the e-mail, you are protecting others too. The real company can report the e-mail to the right authorities and have it stopped. You might even want to reply to the e-mail sender that you have reported them. Ask the ID theft personal you will need to call in the next paragraph first, if that's a good idea.

If you have already given out you information by accident, you MUST immediately call you bank(s), cancel your debit and credit cards. Ask the bank to put an alert on your account, and as soon as possible, CLOSE the account(s). You may also want to stop checks you have sent for bills, call the bill collectors, and explain they will get another check from your new account. Call the I.D. Theft Hot line 1-877-438-4338. Tell them what happened. Then you will NEED to call one or all of the credit lines.. Equifax 1-800-525-6285, they will contact the other two credit lines. They also offer for about $15 a month a protection plan, where they give you a code, and if someone tries to establish credit, by any of the three credit lines, the company MUST call you to verify and you MUST give them the code. If you have already canceled your credit cards, you can opt. for bill later. The representative will give you step by step instructions on what to do. I went as far as changing my e-mail address and deleting the old one. You will basically have to start all over.