Ukuqwashisa nge-Scam nokuvikelwa kobunikazi · Isifundo 3 3
Protect Your Identity and Recover If It's Stolen
Step-by-step credit freezes, lesser-known locks such as the IRS IP PIN, and a recovery checklist if someone uses your identity.
Kuqediwe kulesi sisetshenziswa
Izingxenye zalesi sifundo azikahunyushelwa olimini lwakho, ngakho-ke zikhonjiswe ngesiNgisi.
Kulesi sifundo
Yini ozoyifunda
- Choose between a fraud alert and a credit freeze, and freeze your credit for free at all three bureaus.
- Use an IRS Identity Protection PIN and other lesser-known locks to protect your tax account, phone number, and bank records.
- Protect your documents, passwords, and accounts with simple everyday habits.
- Follow the IdentityTheft.gov recovery steps if someone uses your identity.
Ukuthi lokhu kuxhumene kanjani namakilasi ethu: Our class covers the warning signs of identity theft and the key steps to respond. This lesson walks you through credit freezes and other free locks step by step, and gives you a recovery checklist and an example with real numbers.
Amagama okumele wazi
- Ukwebiwa kobunikazi (Identity theft)
- Lapho othile esebenzisa ulwazi lwakho lomuntu siqu, njengegama lakho, inombolo yokuphepha komphakathi, noma i-ITIN, ngaphandle kwemvume yakho yokuthola imali, isikweletu, imisebenzi, noma izinzuzo.
- Ihhovisi lesikweletu (Credit bureau)
- Inkampani eqoqa imininingwane yokuthi uyisebenzisa kanjani isikweletu futhi ithengise imibiko yesikweletu. Amahhovisi amathathu kazwelonke yi-Equifax, i-Experian, neTransUnion.
- Ukuqandisa kwesikweletu (Credit freeze)
- Ibhlokhi yamahhala evimbela i-credit bureau ekwabelaneni ngombiko wakho wesikweletu nababolekisi abasha uze uyiphakamise. Ibizwa nangokuthi i-freeze yokuphepha.
- Isexwayiso sokukhwabanisa (Fraud alert)
- Inothi lamahhala embikweni wakho wesikweletu elitshela ababolekisi ukuthi bahlole ubunikazi bakho ngaphambi kokuvula isikweletu esisha egameni lakho.
- I-Identity Protection PIN (IPIN YE-IP) (Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN))
- Inombolo enamadijithi ayi-6 evela ku-IRS eya embuyiselweni yakho yentela ye-federal. Ivimbela abanye abantu ukuthi bafake imbuyiselo nge-SSN yakho noma i-ITIN.
- Umbiko Wokwebiwa Kobunikazi (Identity Theft Report)
- Umbiko owenza mahhala ku-IdentityTheft.gov. Kusiza ukufakazela amabhizinisi nama-credit bureaus ukuthi othile weba ubunikazi bakho.
Isexwayiso sokukhwabanisa noma ukuqandisa isikweletu?
Isela elinenombolo yakho yokuphepha kwezenhlalo (SSN) lingazama ukuvula amakhadi wesikweletu, imalimboleko, noma izinhlelo zocingo egameni lakho. Amathuluzi amabili wamahhala enza lokhu kube nzima kakhulu. Bobabili basebenza ngama-bureaus amathathu esikweletu ezweni lonke: i-Equifax, i-Experian, neTransUnion.
| Umbuzo | Isexwayiso sokukhwabanisa | Ukuqandisa kwesikweletu |
|---|---|---|
| Yini eyenzayo? | Tshela ababolekisi ukuthi bahlole ubunikazi bakho ngaphambi kokuvula isikweletu esisha egameni lakho. | Ivimbela ababolekisi abasha ukuthi babone umbiko wakho wesikweletu, ngakho-ke iningi lesikweletu esisha alikwazi ukuvulwa. |
| Kubiza malini? | Akukho lutho | Akukho lutho |
| Ihlala isikhathi esingakanani? | Unyaka ongu-1, futhi ungavuselela. Izisulu zokwebiwa kobunikazi zingathola isexwayiso esinwetshiwe esihlala iminyaka engu-7. | Kuze kube yilapho uyiphakamisa. |
| Uyibeka kuphi? | Ehhovisi elilodwa. Lelo hhovisi kufanele litshele abanye ababili. | Ehhovisi ngalinye lalezi zintathu, ngamunye ngamunye. |
Ukuqandisa kunikeza ukuvikelwa okuqinile, futhi akuthinti amaphuzu akho wesikweletu. Ungaba nesixwayiso sokukhwabanisa nokuqandisa ngasikhathi sinye. Zombili zimayelana nesikweletu esisha. Azivimbeli umuntu ukuthi asebenzise ikhadi noma i-akhawunti osuvele unayo, ngakho-ke qhubeka uhlola izitatimende zakho.
Freeze your credit, step by step
- Set aside about 30 minutes. Have your SSN, date of birth, and current address ready.
- Go to each bureau's website yourself: equifax.com, experian.com, and transunion.com. Type the address. Do not use a link from an email or a text.
- Create an account at each site and answer the questions that check your identity. You can also ask for a freeze by phone or by mail.
- Choose the free "security freeze" or "credit freeze." You do not have to buy anything or sign up for a paid service. When you ask online or by phone, the bureau must place the freeze within one business day.
- Save your account login, and any PIN the bureau gives you. You will need them to lift the freeze later.
- Repeat at the other two bureaus. A freeze at only one bureau leaves the other two open.
When you need credit, lift the freeze for a short time
Before you apply for a loan, a credit card, an apartment, or a phone plan, ask the company which bureau it uses. Then lift the freeze at that bureau for a few days, or at all three. When you ask online or by phone, the bureau must lift the freeze within one hour. By mail, it can take up to three business days.
Parents can also freeze the credit of a child under 16 for free. Some people with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) have credit files and some do not. If an online form asks for an SSN you do not have, call the bureau, or ask a nonprofit credit counselor for help.
Extra locks most people do not know about
IRS Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
An IP PIN is a 6-digit number that keeps someone else from filing a federal tax return with your SSN or ITIN. This stops a thief from filing a fake return and taking your refund. Anyone with an SSN or ITIN who can prove who they are can get one. It is free, and you get a new number every year. Once you have one, use it on every federal tax return you file.
- The fastest way to get one is online, through your IRS account at irs.gov/ippin.
- If you cannot prove who you are online, you may be able to use IRS Form 15227 if your income is below a limit, or make an appointment at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center.
- The IRS will never call, email, or text you to ask for your IP PIN. Anyone who asks is a scammer.
A PIN on your phone account
Banks and apps often send codes to your phone. A thief who moves your phone number to their own phone gets those codes. Ask your phone company to add a PIN or passcode to your account, and ask about a lock that stops your number from being moved to another phone or company. If your phone suddenly loses service for no clear reason, call your phone company from another phone right away.
A freeze at ChexSystems
Many banks and credit unions check new customers with ChexSystems, a consumer reporting company. A security freeze there helps stop someone from opening a bank account in your name. Ask for it at chexsystems.com, by phone, or by mail.
Ithiphu
Everyday habits that protect you
- Keep your Social Security card, ITIN letter, and passport at home in a safe place. Do not carry them in your wallet.
- Shred bank statements, medical bills, and credit offers before you throw them away. To get fewer credit offers, opt out at optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-567-8688.
- When someone asks for your SSN or ITIN, ask why they need it and how they will protect it. Employers, banks, and tax preparers usually do need it. Many other businesses do not.
- Use a long password or passphrase of at least 15 characters, and a different one for each important account.
- Turn on two-step verification for your email, bank, and payment apps. After your password, the site also asks for a code, usually sent to your phone or shown in an app, so a thief who has only your password cannot get in. Look for it in each account's security settings.
- Check your credit reports for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com.
If it happens: your recovery plan
Warning signs include charges or bills you do not recognize, debt collectors calling about debts that are not yours, accounts on your credit report that you did not open, and regular bills that stop arriving. Act the same day. IdentityTheft.gov gives these steps:
- Call the companies where the fraud happened. Ask for the fraud department. Ask them to close or freeze the accounts. Change your passwords and PINs.
- Place a free fraud alert with one credit bureau. It must tell the other two. Then get your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and look for anything you do not recognize.
- Report it to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov (in Spanish at RobodeIdentidad.gov) or by calling 1-877-438-4338. To report in another language, call and press 3. You will get an Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan.
- File a police report if you need one. Do this if you know something about the thief, or if a company asks for a police report. Ask the police for a copy.
- Fix the damage. Use your Identity Theft Report to close new accounts opened in your name, remove fake charges, and correct your credit reports.
- Protect yourself for the long term. Think about a 7-year extended fraud alert or a credit freeze, and an IP PIN if your SSN or ITIN was taken.
"Hello. My name is [your name]. Someone stole my identity and opened an account with your company in my name. The account number is [number, if you know it]. I did not open this account or make these charges. Please close the account, remove the charges, and send me a letter that says so. I have an Identity Theft Report from IdentityTheft.gov. What is your name, please?"
For every call, write down the date, the person's name, and what they said. Send copies of papers, and keep the originals.
Isibonelo
Why fast reporting matters: a stolen debit card
Kwame lives in Silver Spring. On Friday night, his wallet is stolen. By Saturday morning, the thief has used his debit card to spend $900. Under federal law, the most Kwame can lose depends on how fast he reports it to his bank.
| When Kwame reports the card | Most he can lose |
|---|---|
| Before the thief uses the card | $0 |
| Within 2 business days after he learns it is gone | $50 |
| After 2 business days, but within 60 days after his bank statement is sent | Up to $500 |
| More than 60 days after his statement is sent | All the money taken, and possibly more |
| Money he protects by reporting on Saturday instead of waiting too long | $850 |
$900 − $50 = $850
For a lost or stolen credit card, the most you can owe is $50. If only your card number is stolen and you still have the card, you are not responsible for charges you did not make.
Tax and medical identity theft
Tax identity theft
Signs include: your e-filed tax return is rejected because a return was already filed with your SSN or ITIN, an IRS letter about a return you did not file, or a W-2 or 1099 form from an employer you never worked for.
- If you get an IRS letter, make sure it is real, then follow its instructions.
- If your e-filed return is rejected because a return was already filed with your number, you may need to file your return on paper. The IRS says to keep filing and paying your taxes as usual.
- You may also need Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. The IRS says not to file it if the IRS already sent you a letter about the problem.
- Get free help at a VITA tax site (see our lesson on filing for free), or call the IRS identity theft line at 800-908-4490.
Medical identity theft
Signs include: a bill for medical care you did not get, a debt collector calling about a medical bill that is not yours, a medical debt on your credit report that you do not recognize, or a notice from your health insurance that you reached your benefit limit.
What to do: ask each provider for a copy of your medical records and bills, and tell the provider about any errors in writing. Check your credit reports, and report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
Qaphela
Do not pay for protection that is free
Some companies charge a monthly fee to "protect your identity." The most important tools are free: credit freezes, fraud alerts, weekly credit reports, the IRS IP PIN, and a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
Also watch for callers who say they are from the FTC, the IRS, or your bank and that your identity was stolen, and then ask for your SSN or tell you to move your money. Hang up, and call back at a number you find yourself. See our lesson on spotting scams.
Izinto ezibalulekile
- A credit freeze is free, does not hurt your credit score, and lasts until you lift it. You must place it at each of the three bureaus.
- When you need credit or an apartment, you can lift a freeze online or by phone, and the bureau must do it within one hour.
- An IRS IP PIN keeps others from filing a tax return with your SSN or ITIN. It is free, and you get a new one every year.
- If your identity is stolen, go to IdentityTheft.gov (RobodeIdentidad.gov in Spanish) for a free report and a recovery plan.
- Report a lost or stolen debit card right away. The sooner you report, the less you can lose.
Hlola ukuqonda kwakho
Phendula imibuzo, bese ukhetha Hlola izimpendulo zami. Thola 4 5 ilungelo ukuqedela lesi sifundo. Awukho umkhawulo wesikhathi, futhi asigcini izimpendulo zakho.
Qhubekela phambili
Amawebhusayithi athembekile lapho ungafunda khona kabanzi. Lezi zixhumanisi ziya kwamanye amawebhusayithi angasebenzi yi-Dollar Scholars.
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IdentityTheft.gov (Enye iwebhusayithi)
Bika ukwebiwa kobunikazi bese uthola uhlelo lokutakula lomuntu siqu.
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RobodeIdentidad.gov (Enye iwebhusayithi)
Inguqulo yaseSpain ye-IdentityTheft.gov: bika ukwebiwa kobunikazi bese uthola uhlelo lokutakula lwamahhala.
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Izixwayiso Zokukhwabanisa Nezikweletu (Enye iwebhusayithi)
Isebenza kanjani izixwayiso zokukhwabanisa nokukhwabanisa, nokuthi ungazibeka kanjani futhi uziphakamise mahhala.
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Thola i-PIN yokuvikela ubunikazi (i-IP PIN) (Enye iwebhusayithi)
Ngubani ongathola i-PIN ye-IP, nokuthi ungayithola kanjani ku-inthanethi, ngefomu, noma mathupha.
Lesi sifundo yimfundo ejwayelekile yezezimali, hhayi iseluleko sezomthetho, sentela noma sezezimali. Imithetho nemali iyashintsha, ngakho-ke hlola izinombolo ezibalulekile ngomthombo osemthethweni.