Here are some ways you can always protect yourself against misuse of your information:
- Change any passwords or other credentials that may contain the disclosed information.
- Review statements for your credit card, bank, retirement, brokerage, and other accounts periodically. They can tip you to fraudulent charges on your accounts long before issues show up on your credit report.
- Monitor your credit reports for free. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com — a website for free credit reports. You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies.
- Place a free, initial 90-day fraud alert on your credit report. The alert tells potential creditors and lenders to contact you directly and verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name. You can renew the fraud alert after 90 days, or remove it at any time.
To place an initial alert, contact one of the three credit reporting agencies, where you may be requested to provide certain identifying information. The agency you contact must tell the other two agencies about your alert.
We also encourage you to visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft for more information on how you can protect yourself.