A security freeze is the best way to protect yourself from identity theft because doing so prevent thieves from opening up new lines of credit in your name. Starting Sept. 21, due to federal legislation, credit freezes became free for everyone, including children.

A security freeze takes commitment on your part because it also prevents you from opening up new lines of credit in your name without having first thawed or removed that freeze.

To perform a security freeze correctly, you will want to freeze your credit with all three consumer credit reporting agencies. This is a process that can be done most efficiently online. 

Equifax

Phone: 1-800-349-9960

Experian

Phone: 1‑888‑397‑3742

TransUnion

Phone: 1-888-909-8872

This article provides additional info for freezing credit for a child and a link to each credit bureau: https://hbewealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Requesting-a-Credit-Freeze-for-a-Child.pdf

The process for freezing credit for kids is more involved and requires more steps as you have to prove you are the legal guardian. However, it is still the best method to protect children from having their identity stolen.

Additional notes regarding credit freezes:

When freezing your credit, you’ll be asked to supply your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and other personal information.

Freezing and unfreezing your credit in no way impacts your credit score. It also does not prevent you from getting your free annual credit report.

When opening a new line of credit, you can find out which credit bureau the creditor works with and then you will just need to temporarily thaw your credit with that bureau. Once the creditor has the info they need, you should re-freeze your credit.

This was a question asked during the presentation that I said I needed to go back and research – and just like the person I overheard at the spring training game down in Florida – I definitely learned some new things.

The quick answer is “Yes!” Identity theft of people who have dies can and does happen.

An identity thief’s use of a deceased person’s Social Security number may create problems for family members and can also victimizes merchants, banks, and other businesses.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains a national file of reported deaths for the purpose of paying appropriate benefits. The file contains the following information: Social Security number, name, date of birth, date of death, state of last known residence, and zip code of last lump sum payment.

The SSA generally receives reports of death from a family member or a funeral home. Sometimes delays in reporting can provide time for identity thieves to collect enough personal information to open credit accounts or take other fraudulent actions using the deceased’s information.

To prevent this from happening, a surviving spouse or other authorized individual, such as an executor, can notify the credit bureaus. This will ensure that the deceased’s files are flagged with a “deceased” notation.

Signs of possible identity theft include calls from a creditor or collection agency on an account opened or used in the deceased’s name after death. If you discover such signs, contact the affected creditor or collection agency in writing, explaining that the account was opened or used fraudulently.

In most cases, a funeral director will report the person’s death to SSA. To ensure the death is reported promptly, a family member can make a report directly to an SSA representative by calling SSA toll-free, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit SSA at: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10008.html

To flag the credit files of a person who is deceased, the surviving spouse or executor needs to notify the three national credit bureaus in writing. The surviving spouse or executor must include the following information along with the alert request: 1) a copy of death certificate, and 2) proof of executorship or marriage. Then mail the notification documents to the credit bureaus at the addresses below.

Equifax
P.O Box 105518
Atlanta, GA 30348-5518

Experian National Consumer Assistance Center 
P.O. Box 9701
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
1561 E. Orangethorpe Avenue
Fullerton, CA 92831

Two-factor identification requires a password and some other identifier – frequently it is entering in a four-digit code sent to your cell phone – when accessing a web site or app. In some cases it is with each login; other times it is when just logging into a new device. Below are links on how to do this for some companies and institutions. If your bank does not have you set up for this, it’s likely that you just need to contact them and ask how to enroll.

Schwab:

https://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/nn/public-security-tips-popup.html

Fidelity

https://www.fidelity.com/security/extra-security-login

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/help/148233965247823

Google:

https://www.google.com/landing/2step/

Yahoo:

https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN5013.html

Instagram:

https://help.instagram.com/566810106808145

Below are links to information and third-party reviews about Password Management software.

Comparisons of Password Managers:

https://cybernews.com/best-password-managers/

https://www.techradar.com/best/password-manager

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-password-managers,review-3785.html

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-password-managers

VPNS (Virtual Private Networks) 

If you are accessing and browsing the internet from only your home, you can be reasonably confident your home network is safe. If you are someone who has a personal laptop you like or need to use at different places – coffee shops, airports, hotels, etc. then using a VPN is recommended., The VPN creates an encryption tunnel – think of it as a force shield — that then prevents anyone on the same network you are on being able to see what you or doing or access your data.

Do I need a VPN at home? https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/do-i-need-a-vpn-at-home
Tech Radar: Best VPNS for a Windows PC: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/best-windows-10-vpn
CNBET: Bet VPN Services for 2023: https://shorturl.at/tAEIT

The FBI has sent out alerts they are seeing a massive spike in sexual extortion of teenagers – most often teenage boys between the ages of 12-17. In general, the scammer is using social media to form relationships and then coerce victims into sending sexually explicit photos and videos to them. Upon receiving, they immediately demand payment or threaten to release the photos/videos to the victim’s family and friends.

Worse than any monetary impact, this financial sextortion can make victims feel hopeless or alone, and according to the FBI has led to 20 suicides. In recent months, the FBI has received 13,000 reports of this type of crime, but also know many are not reported.

The FBI is recommending parents talk to their kids about this type of crime so if someone attempts to someone a victim, they can recognize it in advance. Also recommended is for parents to remind their kids to always come to them if someone is threatening them online no matter what the circumstance.

Anyone whose child is a victim of this type of crime or threatened with it, should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov

Below are resources for parents and kids:.
• Financial Sextortion: Resources and Downloads
• Financial Sextortion: How the FBI Can Help 

https://identitytheft.gov/

This Federal Trade Commission web site walks identity theft victims through the various processes to report and recover their identity.

https://howsecureismypassword.net/

This simple web site allows you to enter in any word you are considering using as a password and tells you how long it would take to hack that password. It is also safe to enter in existing passwords to see how strong they are as you are only entering in passwords – not the web sites or user IDs they are associated with.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/

This is the web site for Brian Krebs, one of the leading authorities on cybercrime and cybersecurity. Krebs was a reporter for the Washington Post from 1995-2009, authoring more than 1,300 blog posts for the Security Fix blog and produced eight investigative front page stories on cybercrime. His site regularly produces interesting news and helpful tips.

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

This web site allows internet users to check if their personal data has been compromised by data breaches. The service collects and analyzes dozens of database dumps containing information about hundreds of millions of leaked accounts, and allows users to search for their own information by entering their username or email address. Users can also sign up to be notified if their email address appears in future data dumps.