Last week, Home Depot became one of a growing number of retailers to have their systems hacked and customer data stolen. This has become a widespread problem for a growing number of retailers. Unfortunately, this is probably not the last retailer to have their system hacked to gain access to customer information. The real question is how do you protect yourself?
There are a number of protection services that will alert you when there is possible fraud or when there are changes to your credit reports. Each provider offers multiple levels of protection from basic alerts to more in depth monitoring. Below is a link to a comparison of the highest rated identity theft protection services. Please note that this is just one review site and other sites may have different rankings.
http://www.reviews.com/identity-theft-protection-services/compare/
If you feel an identity theft protection service is not right for you, there are things you can do to protect your identity on your own. It is important to check your credit card and checking accounts on a regular basis to verify there is no fraudulent activity. It is also important to check your credit report at least once a year. AnnualCreditReport.com allows you to get a copy of your credit reports for free. There are some websites available that will allow you to check your credit score and monitor your credit activity. Some of them include:
If you find that you have been a victim of identity theft, you will need to take some steps to protect yourself, your assets, and your credit score. The first thing you will need to do is contact your bank and credit card companies so that they can monitor your accounts more closely for fraudulent activity. They may also give you a new account number if your account has been compromised. The next person to call if your financial advisor or brokerage firm to let them know. They can be extra eyes looking for transfer requests or suspicious activity. You will also need to check and monitor your credit report to watch for any new accounts being opened or any other unusual activity.
Emails are hacked as well, and in order to protect you Asset Planning, Inc. will no longer send out money requested by email. If you do send us an email, we will call you or request to see you in person to verify that you are the one actually requesting the funds.