Identity theft has risen to be a major area of concern in the United States, with reports of hackers recently hacking and leaking federal employee’s email accounts with in the recent years, those of which are supposed to be some of the most secure accounts in the world. Identity theft is the leading consumer complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC reports that 9 million identities are stolen in the United States every year. Having your identity stolen is tragic, however, it isn’t the worst of the crime; it’s what the criminal does with the information that’s damaging, credit card fraud, mortgage and utilities scams; and emptied bank accounts etc.

Online identity theft if s growing problem, primarily because scammers are excelling in tricking people into giving over their information.There is a tactic called phishing and pharming scams, which means thieves will create and use fake email accounts, websites, phone numbers etc to impersonate legitimate organizations. By doing so, hackers ask for secure passwords, and personal information. This opens the front door for hackers to come in and plant their trap right in front of you. Hackers then create malware to infiltrate your computer and install keystroke loggers to steal data or capture account names and passwords as you type them into your computer.

There are ways to protect you identity/information. A way that is becoming very popular today is making passwords that is a sentence(s) long. Yes, it does becoming difficult for you to remember, but there are methods that will help you remember them, and email can be sent, or a text can be sent with the password itself, or a hint as to what the password could be. When doing a financial business transaction online, only use secure websites with URLs that begin with “https:” or that are authenticated by companies like VeriSign or the Norton Secured Seal. Never send personal information such as Social Security numbers or credit card numbers via email, instant messages and across social networks. Not even in a private message. Don’t store any sensitive information about yourself or your bank accounts on your computer, and watch out for shoulder surfers. Shoulder surfers are people who may sit near you and creep/watch over your shoulder at the information you type into certain sites. They can then copy down your keystrokes and have you information.

With that being said, there are ways to combat identity theft. Closely monitor your bank accounts, credit reports and any other financial accounts you may have. If the financial companies you do business with offer activity alerts, sign up for them. And if you receive an alert or your financial institution reports unusual account activity, respond as soon as possible. Pay attention to your regular utility bills and bank statements. If you suddenly stop receiving bills, this can be a red flag a criminal could be using your information to have these to his or her advantage.

If someone has stolen your identity, quickly take steps to minimize the damage. Close financial accounts that may be compromised. Cancel your driver’s license or ID cards you may have lost. Put a fraud alert on your credit report and track your report closely for the next few years. Identity theft has become a fact of life. To avoid becoming a victim, protect your personal information using some of these tips, monitor your accounts and credit report closely, and respond immediately to any signs your identity is being misused.