Jul 3, 2019
Ep 032 | How to Protect Yourself After Fraud and Betrayal
If you’ve been following along with my Instagram stories and IGTV, then you’ve seen that in the past week, I’ve had my identity stolen and not by some hacker or random person, but by someone who was not only working with me but was what I thought a good friend. After going through emotions of anger and betrayal, it was time to protect myself and fight back. This week I’m sharing my journey of contacting the credit bureaus and what you can do to protect yourself from identity theft.
Don’t get so busy that you forget to protect yourself!
What we’re talking about
- Fraud and Betrayal
- Credit Bureaus
- Credit Tips
Discovering Someone Close Is A Fraud
Recently I discovered that a friend who had been working for me was not only not who she said she was but had stolen my identity in order to make purchases, pay her taxes and open lines of credit. Having your identity stolen leaves you feeling vulnerable, but also encourages you to protect yourself and never let such a thing happen again.
Freezing Your Credit
The 3 credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and by contacting all of them, you can not only turn on alerts that your cards and/or identity have been stolen, but you can freeze your credit. This might sound like a hassle but the protection is worth it. For major purchases, you will have to contact them all and give them additional information in order to unfreeze it, but the sense of protection and relief is worth it.
Tips For Protecting Your Credit & Identity
There are many tips you can use to avoid having identity theft happen to you. Simple ones such as never use a debit card at a gas station are ways you can start today. Get an annual report of your credit to keep an eye on any kind of suspicious activity that might be going on, change your passwords and make sure they aren’t simple to discover. If you’re also ready, invest in a fraud alert program. Although you’ll pay monthly for the subscription, the peace of mind will ease your fear and worries.
Protect yourself!
LINKS MENTIONED
3 Credit Bureau's Contact Info
Best Identity Theft Protection 2019
TIMESTAMPS
7:37 (57 sec) – There are 3 credit bureaus. You can call them each individually and put a fraud alert out. They will track anytime that your cards are used or someone attempts to take a line of credit out or if they think there is some behavior that is out of line from what you actively use your cards for. So you can do a fraud alert…that’s the first step. When we realized that she had my social security number, we went back to those 3 credit bureaus and we actually froze everything. So freezing means only I have the information to unfreeze them. They give you a case number and I will have to personally talk to each bureau if I want to go make a large purchase, meaning if I want to buy a home or a car.
QUOTES
- Be cautious and take a proactive stance.
- Take a stand and protect yourself.
SOCIAL MEDIA TEXT
TCC Facebook post
- The past week has been one of fraud and betrayal when my identity was stolen by not a hacker, but someone I thought was a friend. I’m sharing the steps I’ve taken to protect myself and how you can be cautious in order to prevent something like this happening to you on Ep 32 of The Confidence Crown!
Day of
- #Identity theft isn’t done only by #hackers, but by people you know. I’m sharing how it happened to me and how you should #protect yourself on EP32 of The Confidence Crown.
- After being #betrayed and discovering someone was a #fraud, I took this week to #protect myself and want you to do the same with the tips I’m sharing on EP32 of The Confidence Crown.
Next day reminder
- Have you listened to the latest Podcast episode about protecting your identity? Head on over to iTunes and check it out!
Show Notes/Post Record INTRO:
THE CONFIDENCE CROWN PODCAST NOTES: www.theconfidencecrown.com