Hey folks, it’s your friendly neighborhood tech guru here, Craig Petersøn, with some vital info. Data breaches are becoming as common as a cup of morning joe ☕. It’s not a matter of if but when your personal information might end up in the wrong hands. But don’t panic! I’ve got your back with five simple steps to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud.

Detailed Run-through

For more detailed information, check the next section called Detailed Provider Breakdown. In it, I give some background on each service, their contact information, and when you should contact them.

Step 1: Check What Info Was Leaked 🔍

Primary Resource:

Have I Been Pwned (https://haveibeenpwned.com) – Free service to check compromised accounts

Alternative Services:

Search the Search the National Public Data Breach records: https://npdbreach.com/
Firefox Monitor (https://monitor.firefox.com)
Browser Password Checkup (built into Safari and Chrome)
Identity Force (https://www.identityforce.com) – Paid service with additional monitoring

Step 2: Freeze Your Credit Reports 🥶

Official Bureau Links:

Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
Experian: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center .html
TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

Alternative Protection:

Credit Lock Services (offered by each bureau)
Fraud Alerts (free, last 1 year)
Credit Monitoring Services:
Credit Karma (free, https://www.creditkarma.com)
MyFICO (paid, https://www.myfico.com)
LifeLock (paid, https://www.lifelock.com)

Step 3: Review Credit Reports for Suspicious Activity 🕵️‍♀️

Official Site:

AnnualCreditReport.com (https://www.annualcreditreport.com)

Additional Monitoring Options:

Credit Sesame (https://www.creditsesame.com)
Mint (https://mint.intuit.com)
Personal Capital (https://www.personalcapital.com)

Step 4: Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN 🔐

Official IRS Resources:

IP PIN Registration: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin

Additional Tax Protection:

File early in tax season
Consider using professional tax preparation services
Use multi-factor authentication for tax filing software

Step 5: Freeze Your Banking Report 🏦

ChexSystems: https://www.chexsystems.com/web/chexsystems/consumerdebit/page/requestreports/thaw

Alternative Banking Protections:

Early Warning Services (https://www.earlywarning.com)
TeleCheck (https://www.firstdata.com/telecheck)
Certegy (https://www.askccertegy.com)

6. Password Management 🔑

7. Identity Theft Protection Services 🛡️

Premium Services:

Norton LifeLock
Identity Guard
Aura
Complete ID (Costco members)

8. Dark Web Monitoring 🌑

Experian Dark Web Scanning
Norton Dark Web Monitoring
IDnotify

Statistics Worth Knowing:

Average loss per identity theft case: $1,551 (FTC)
Recovery time: 100-200 hours on average
33% of Americans have experienced identity theft
Cybercrime costs projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025

Pro Tips:

Enable two-factor authentication everywhere possible
Use unique passwords for each account
Consider a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for online security
Regularly monitor bank and credit card statements
Set up account alerts for suspicious activities
Shred or securely dispose of sensitive documents

Remember: Most of these services offer mobile apps for convenient monitoring. Consider setting up a regular schedule (monthly or quarterly) to review your reports and update security measures.

DETAILED PROVIDER BREAKDOWN 📊

IDENTITY MONITORING SERVICES

HaveIBeenPwned
– Founded: 2013 by Troy Hunt
– Core Business: Data breach notification service
– Cost: Free for individual use; Enterprise API available
– Users: Monitors 12+ billion accounts
– Notable Feature: Powers Firefox Monitor and many other services
– Monthly Traffic: ~8 million visitors
– Reliability: Recognized as the industry standard for breach checking

Firefox Monitor
– Parent Company: Mozilla Foundation
– Cost: Free
– Users: 220+ million Firefox users have access
– Notable Feature: Automatic notifications of new breaches
– Integration: Built into Firefox browser
– Uses HaveIBeenPwned’s database but with additional privacy features

CREDIT MONITORING SERVICES

Credit Karma
– Founded: 2007
– Core Business: Free credit monitoring and financial services
– Cost: Free (makes money from credit card/loan recommendations)
– Users: 110+ million members
– Features: TransUnion & Equifax monitoring, tax filing, banking services
– Revenue: $1+ billion annually
– Recent Development: Acquired by Intuit for $7.1 billion in 2020

MyFICO
– Parent Company: Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO)
– Cost: $19.95-$39.95/month
– Users: Not publicly disclosed
– Features: All three bureau monitoring, FICO score updates
– Notable: Official source of FICO scores used by 90% of lenders
– Accuracy: Most accurate credit scores available to consumers

LifeLock
– Parent Company: Norton (Gen Digital)
– Cost: $11.99-$34.99/month
– Users: 4.5+ million
– Features: Credit monitoring, identity theft protection, up to $1M insurance
– Notable: Includes Norton 360 security suite
– Recovery Services: Full-service restoration team

CREDIT BUREAUS

Equifax
– Founded: 1899
– Market Cap: ~$24 billion
– Coverage: 800+ million consumers worldwide
– Cost for freeze: Free (required by law)
– Premium services: $19.95/month
– Notable: Suffered major breach in 2017 affecting 147 million people

Experian
– Founded: 1996
– Market Cap: ~$27 billion
– Coverage: 1+ billion people worldwide
– Cost for freeze: Free
– Premium services: $19.99-$29.99/month
– Users of premium services: 7+ million

TransUnion
– Founded: 1968
– Market Cap: ~$11 billion
– Coverage: 1+ billion consumers worldwide
– Cost for freeze: Free
– Premium services: $24.95/month
– Notable: Owns TrustedID identity protection

PASSWORD MANAGERS

1Password
– My favorite
– Founded: 2005
– Cost: $2.99-$7.99/month
– Users: 15+ million
– Features: Password management, secure document storage
– Notable: Never breached
– Popular with: Technical users and businesses

LastPass
– Parent Company: GoTo (formerly LogMeIn)
– Cost: Free version available; Premium $3/month
– Users: 33+ million
– Features: Password storage, sharing, generator
– Security Incident: Major breach in 2022
– Market Share: ~25% of the password manager market

Bitwarden
– Founded: 2016
– Cost: Free version available; Premium $10/year
– Users: 4+ million
– Features: Open source, self-hosting option
– Notable: Most affordable premium option
– Popular with: Privacy-focused users and developers

IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION SERVICES

Norton LifeLock (Combined service stats)
– Parent Company: Gen Digital
– Cost: $11.99-$34.99/month
– Users: 80+ million total
– Features: Identity protection, credit monitoring, device security
– Recovery Insurance: Up to $1M
– Market Share: Largest consumer cybersecurity company

Identity Guard
– Parent Company: Intersections Inc.
– Cost: $8.99-$24.99/month
– Users: 47+ million (since 1996)
– Features: AI-powered identity protection
– Recovery Insurance: Up to $1M
– Notable: Uses IBM Watson AI

Aura
– Founded: 2019
– Cost: $15-$30/month
– Users: 7+ million
– Features: All-in-one digital security
– Recovery Insurance: Up to $1M
– Growth: Acquired several competitors, including Identity Guard

BANKING PROTECTION SERVICES

ChexSystems
– Parent Company: Fidelity National Information Services
– Cost: Free freeze and reports
– Coverage: Used by 80% of U.S. banks
– Report Retention: 5 years
– Users: Tracks ~300 million consumer records
– Primary Use: Bank account screening

Usage Trends:
– Password manager adoption: Growing 20% annually
– Identity theft protection: 13% annual market growth
– Credit monitoring: 35% of U.S. adults use a service
– Credit freezes: Implemented by ~28% of U.S. adults

Market Size (2023):
– Identity Theft Protection: $13.3 billion
– Password Management: $2.05 billion
– Credit Monitoring: $4.7 billion

[Note: Some numbers are approximations as companies don’t always disclose exact figures.]

Need More Help?

FTC Identity Theft Resource: https://www.identitytheft.gov
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: https://www.consumerfinance.gov
National Identity Theft Victims Assistance Network: https://www.nitvan.org

Stay vigilant, stay secure! Questions? Drop them in the comments below! 🔒✨

https://craigpeterson.com/radio-show/all-the-fun-things-you-can-do-if-you-steal-someones-identity/21496/

‘Father of Identity Theft’ Gets 30 Years after being Convicted Of Mail Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft

Questions? Need help? Click Here

Almost 100% Guaranteed Your Social Security Number Has Been Stolen – So Now What?

Detailed Run-through

Step 1: Check What Info Was Leaked 🔍

Step 2: Freeze Your Credit Reports 🥶

Step 3: Review Credit Reports for Suspicious Activity 🕵️‍♀️

Step 4: Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN 🔐

Step 5: Freeze Your Banking Report 🏦

6. Password Management 🔑

7. Identity Theft Protection Services 🛡️

8. Dark Web Monitoring 🌑

DETAILED PROVIDER BREAKDOWN 📊

IDENTITY MONITORING SERVICES

CREDIT MONITORING SERVICES

CREDIT BUREAUS

PASSWORD MANAGERS

IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION SERVICES

BANKING PROTECTION SERVICES

Almost 100% Guaranteed Your Social Security Number Has Been Stolen – So Now What?

Detailed Run-through

Step 1: Check What Info Was Leaked 🔍

Step 2: Freeze Your Credit Reports 🥶

Step 3: Review Credit Reports for Suspicious Activity 🕵️‍♀️

Step 4: Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN 🔐

Step 5: Freeze Your Banking Report 🏦

6. Password Management 🔑

7. Identity Theft Protection Services 🛡️

8. Dark Web Monitoring 🌑

DETAILED PROVIDER BREAKDOWN 📊

IDENTITY MONITORING SERVICES

CREDIT MONITORING SERVICES

CREDIT BUREAUS

PASSWORD MANAGERS

IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION SERVICES

BANKING PROTECTION SERVICES

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