| The Office of the Indiana Attorney General warns consumers to minimize the risk of identity theft by practicing smart behaviors in your daily life to reduce the odds of falling prey to online scams.
During National Cyber Security Awareness Month Attorney General Greg Zoeller offers several tips: Lock your screens- Lock and password protect the screens to your phone, computer, tablets, and other mobile devices by setting up a password, making it more difficult for outsiders attempting to access your personal information. Another tip, monitor your financial and sensitive accounts by regularly checking the balances and make sure there aren’t any suspicious transactions. He also suggests monitoring any other accounts holding information such as your Social Security number, address, and birth date. Zoeller suggests consumers consider switching the use of their debit card to using a credit card. Debit cards provide access to your entire banking account and place you more at risk for identity theft if there is a breach. Another option is placing a freeze your credit. Placing a credit freeze on your credit reports can block an identity thief from opening a new account or obtaining credit in your name. The final tip is the use of unique passwords. Intricate passwords are harder to hack online. Creating different passwords for each of your online accounts can also deter hackers from accessing sensitive information. For questions about identity theft, contact the Attorney General’s Office at 800-382-5516 or file a complaint online at www.IndianaConsumer.com |
