{"id":23710,"date":"2021-09-02T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T13:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxprocenter.proconnect.intuit.com\/?p=23710"},"modified":"2022-04-12T12:39:18","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T17:39:18","slug":"signs-youre-a-victim-of-identity-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accountants.intuit.com\/taxprocenter\/practice-management\/signs-youre-a-victim-of-identity-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"4 signs you\u2019re a victim of identity theft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding out that someone has stolen your identity can be mentally and financially devastating. An ITRC study found that 54 percent of victims of identity fraud said they felt violated as a result of their identity being misused, with 33 percent reporting they didn’t have enough money to buy food or pay for utilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, identity theft is becoming increasingly common. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of identity theft<\/a> cases more than doubled from 650,523 to 1.4 million. The high uptick in cases suggests that fraudsters are getting better at stealing consumer’s information.<\/p>\n

As fraudsters become more experienced, it’s not always possible to prevent identity theft. The only effective way to confront identity theft<\/a> is for consumers to know the signs of fraud and take action quickly to minimize the damage. In this article, we’re going to look at some of the key signs that indicate you’ve fallen victim to identity fraud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to detect fraud: Top 4 signs of identity theft\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are potentially dozens of signs of identity theft that indicate a fraudster has used your information to conduct criminal activity, but there are four main signs you need to look out for if you want to catch fraud quickly:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Your information was exposed in a data breach\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

An early warning sign that you’re at risk of identity theft is if you discover a hacker leaked your information during a data breach. For example, if you discover your email address, password, and credit card details on a public database or online forum, then there’s a chance a fraudster will use that information to steal your identity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that there are many simple and free online resources you can check to see if your information has been publicly released. Free services, such as HaveIbeenPwned<\/a> and Identity Guard<\/a>, allow you to enter your email address and check if your personal information or passwords are included in any recent data breaches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That being said, if you want more comprehensive protection, then you can also sign up for an identity theft protection service like Aura<\/a>, with an anti-fraud team specialist that can trawl the dark web to see if your information has been leaked anywhere online and guide you on how to respond effectively if your personal data is exposed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n