• Review your credit card and bank statements carefully and often. If you see a charge you do not recognize, contact the fraud department of the financial institution to dispute it and have the compromised card deactivated.
• Consider placing a credit freeze (also known as a “security freeze”) on your credit files. With a freeze in place, credit reporting agencies may not release your credit report or credit score unless you first remove the freeze by providing the password. Since lenders and creditors rely on access to a consumer’s credit file to determine whether to extend someone credit, a credit freeze prevents an identity thief from opening a new credit account in your name. To place a freeze, you must contact all three credit reporting agencies:  Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.
• Review each of your three credit reports at least once a year. Visit annualcreditreport.com to get your free reports. You can receive additional free credit reports as often as once a week by contacting the credit reporting agencies directly.
• File your taxes early to reduce your risk of tax identity theft.
• Do not respond to phone calls, emails or text messages requesting your personal or financial information. If you think the message might be legitimate, look up the phone number of the business on your bill, account statement or through an Internet search, and call that number to confirm.
• Read the statements from your health insurance plan. Make sure the claims paid match the care you received.
• Do not keep your Social Security card in your wallet.
• Before discarding any bills, statements or other documents containing personal or financial information, make sure to shred them or burn them.

To protect your devices and your personal information, follow these guidelines:

• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a pop-up blocker on your computer, and make sure the firewall is enabled. For lists of security tools from legitimate security vendors, visit staysafeonline.org.  
• Update your operating system and software frequently.
• When shopping online, only use well-known, reputable sites. You can check a business’ reputation by going to bbb.org.
• Do not click on links or open file attachments from senders you do not recognize as these could download malware onto your device or take you to a scam website where you’re prompted to enter sensitive information.
• Never use public Wi-Fi to conduct financial transactions.
• Create strong passwords. The longer the password, the tougher it is to crack. Use a mix of upperand lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Use a different password for each of your accounts so that if someone hacks into one account, he/she cannot take over all your accounts.
• Instead of keeping track of dozens of passwords, consider using a Password Manager, which automatically generates strong passwords and encrypts them for safety. You’ll only have to keep track of a single master password, but you should make sure it is very strong. It is also important to choose a reputable provider that uses zero-knowledge architecture so that the service provider and third parties cannot access your stored passwords.
• Enable multi-factor authentication.
• Backup your mobile phone and your computer files regularly. That way, if your device is compromised, you’ll still have access to your files.
• Lock your phone. Use at least a 6-digit passcode on your device, or use the pattern lock or fingerprint scanner. Set the device to lock when not in use.
• Protect yourself in the event that you lose your mobile device:
  • Enable Find My iPhone (iOS) or Find My Device (Android). These apps could help you locate your device if you lose it. If your phone is stolen, these apps also let you remotely issue a command to erase your device – even if an identity thief turns it off.
  • Alert your wireless provider as soon as you know your device is missing. They can permanently or temporarily disable the SIM card to stop someone from using the device for calls or the internet.
  • Change passwords for your accounts. Many of us set our devices to remember passwords – which could mean that someone who gets your phone could get access to your accounts and personal information. So, if you lose your phone, create new passwords right away for your email, social media, online banking, shopping and other online accounts.
• Only download apps from official app stores, e.g. Google Play and Apple’s App Store.